NYC Comedy Picks for Week of November 12, 2007

NYC Comedy Picks for Monday 11/12/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

Joe Mande & Noah Garfinkel hosting a small mob of talented comics at Totally J/K (8:00 pm),

Todd Hanson, editor/writer for The Onion, interviewed at Shoot the Messenger (8:30 pm),

star comic Mike Birbiglia performing a one-time UCBT showcase for his Stand-Up (9:30),

and some of the sharpest comics around, including Joe Mande, Anthony Jeselnik,

Jessi Klein, and Jim Gaffigan at a temporary stand-in for Crash Test, Cavalcade! (11:00 pm).

Hosts Noah Garfinkel and Joe Mande, and John Mulaney

Totally J/K

Hosted by quick-witted and enormously funny best buds Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel

(for dueling birthday videos, please click here and here; and for other videos,

please click here and here). Tonight's guests include the wonderful & razor-sharp

John Mulaney (VH1's Best Week Ever, Late Night with Conan O'Brien;

for stand-up samples, please click here and here),

Paul Oddo ("My girlfriend asked me what color bra she should buy. I said it didn't matter. Breasts go with everything;" for a video stand-up sample, please click here),

Joselyn Hughes (for video questioning the effectiveness of rape whistles, please click here),

Mookie Blaiklock (for odd TV ad, please click here; for stand-up sample including

routine about actor headshots and Mr. T, please click here), and

Harris Wittels (Jimmy Kimmel Live; writer for 2007 MTV Video Music Awards).

8:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Charles Star, Liz Miele, and Becky Donohue

The Billy Club

Hosted by Billy Reno (SNL's Weekend Update, Caroline's; for

video samples, please click here and here). Tonight's guests are

Becky Donohue (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn),

Liz Miele (Carolines; for wry, fun video stand-up sample, please click here),

Charles Star (Onion News Network; Stay Free! Daily blog; host of

monthly Brooklyn comedy show Pant-Hoot),

Jesse Joyce (Comedy Central's Live At Gotham and 2007 Campus College Tour; hosted AMC's

Date Night; comedy CD Joyce To The World; for video about killer bees, please click here), and

Matt Taylor (MTV's Parental Control; host of Astoria, Queens show Tuesday Night Comedy).

8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

Todd Hanson and Lizz Winstead

Shoot the Messenger

Lizz Winstead is co-creator and former head writer of the original The Daily Show; former Executive VP of Air America Radio; and a performer on such shows as Comedy Central Presents and HBO's Women of the Night. (She's also a character; e.g., for a memorable anti-apology after canceling her appearance on the live NYC show Drink at Work, please click here.)

Tonight's guest is Todd Hanson, story editor & writer since 1990 for The Onion. Hanson has also been a writer for Space Ghost Coast to Coast; is a VO cast member of Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies; and has been a guest on such other shows as Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Janeane Garofalo & Sam Seder's radio program The Majority Report. For a print interview with Hanson, please click here.

To get a feel for the show, view a fun STM interview with cartoonist David Rees by clicking here.

To buy tickets online (each $10 plus $2.50 service charge), please click here.

8:30 pm at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street (3rd St. between Lafayette and Broadway); $10

This theatre is downstairs from the Acme restaurant. Nearest subway stops are

Bleecker Street on the #6 and Broadway-Lafayette on the F/V/D/B.

Stand-Up: Mike Birbiglia

Mike Birbiglia performs smart, relaxed, and very funny comedy. (Sample line: "If the best part of waking up is Folgers in my cup, I'm not sure I want to wake up.") He's appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien; done two Comedy Central Presents specials; and has two comedy CDs out, Two Drink Mike and the brand new My Secret Public Journal—Live. For sample videos, please click here and here.

If you enjoy thoughtful stand-up delivered with great skill,

come enjoy Mike tonight for this showcase.

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Frank and KAPE

All-female improv group Frank consists of Elizabeth Blue, Leslie Collins, Julie Dulude, Caroline Goldrick, Mary Jacobson, Desiree Nash, and Abigoliah Schaumaun.

Tonight the gals will be joined by another all-female troupe: KAPE,

consisting of Kelly Hudson, Amber Nelson, Emily Strachan, and Jill Morris.

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5

Hosts Sean O'Connor & Joe Mande...

...and Anthony Jeselnik (being lauded by Robin Williams), Jim Gaffigan, and Jessi Klein

Cavalcade!

This UCBT time slot is normally reserved for Crash Test

hosted by Aziz Ansari (one of the best stand-up comics on the planet,

and co-star with fellow brilliant comics Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer

of MTV hit comedy series Human Giant). However, Aziz, Paul and Rob are

tied up shooting the second season of Human Giant, so Crash Test

is going on hiatus until Aziz is able to focus on his live show again.

(For insider notes about the HG production and sneak peaks at new videos,

please visit the guys' Web site at thehumangiant.com.)

Andy Blitz

Happily, last week's Crash Test was the strangest in its entire run,

and the memory of it will likely linger until Aziz is ready to return.

Hosted by Andy Blitz, who is a comedy genius (best known for being

a writer and performer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien since 1999),

most of the show consisted of Blitz simply chatting with an elderly man in the

front row whose name appears in the phone book as George George.

Essentially, George wanted an unlisted number without having to pay extra for it

so supplied a phony last name; but the full story took about 15 minutes to relate...

George also explained how Steve "Guts-'n-berg," star of Police Academy,

"invented the invention;" how George was arrested in Brooklyn for smoking;

and why George should be on stage instead of the comics who'd been booked.

The initial conversation lasted 40 minutes—

with Andy interrupting halfway in just to call a friend and say,

"You have to get over here. 26th and 8th. No, trust me. It's worth it."

Andy also resumed chatting with George after each comic's set throughout the show.

Every now and then, after George said something particularly astonishing,

Andy would remark, "How did you happen? And why did you happen tonight?"

Then towards the end, the light dawned.

"Oh no!" said Andy. " I get it now. You're me in 10 years!!"

I'm definitely not alone in considering the evening memorable.

If you visit the UCBT Men's room, you'll find someone has added

"I George George; 5 stars" to the wall by the sink...

Anyway...tonight kicks off a series of stand-up shows titled Cavalcade!

The hosts are the razor-sharp and hilarious Joe Mande (co-host of

the biweekly comedy show Totally J/K, which was on tonight at 8:00) and

Sean O'Connor (co-host of the weekly show Smiletime with Sean and Shawn;

VH1; New York Post's Top 20 Entertainers to Watch For in 2006; upcoming album

Shmeat is Shmurder; for stand-up samples, please click here and here).

And tonight's brilliantly funny guests are

star comic Jim Gaffigan (Late Show With David Letterman [11 appearances],

Late Night with Conan O'Brien [16 appearances], Comedy Central Presents),

Anthony Jeselnik (phenomenal stand-up specializing in darkly shocking jokes;

Comedy Central's Premium Blend, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live,

NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, MTV's Walk of Shame;

for a video stand-up sample, please click here),

Jessi Klein (winner of 2003 ECNY Best Female Stand-Up award; Director

of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here), and

Harris Wittels (Jimmy Kimmel Live; writer for 2007 MTV Video Music Awards).

And it's all free.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free

NYC Comedy Picks for Tuesday 11/13/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

delightfully sharp comics Sara Schaefer, Negin Farsad, and Lang Fisher at Chicks & Giggles (8:00 pm)

and the wonderful Cracked Out, Dave Hill, and Leo Allen at Sweet (9:00 pm).

Negin Farsad, Sara Schaefer, and Lang Fisher

Chicks & Giggles

Carolyn Castiglia hosts a lineup of talented female comics.

Tonight's fabulous guests are the delightful

Sara Schaefer (VH1's Best Week Ever, E! Network's Rise of the Geeks, UCBT's Video Gaga),

Negin Farsad (Comedy Central's The Watch List, comedy troupes Madame Funnypants

and Three Jews and a Persian, Laughing Liberally at Town Hall, host of NYC

live comedy show Dirty Immigrant Collective; for a video sample, please click here),

Lang Fisher (writer and performer of funny videos for The Onion News Network,

Comedy Central, etc.; for a sample, please click here),

Margaret Dodge (drummer for Manson Family Singers),

Poppi Kramer (At-Home Winner of NBC's The Biggest Loser Season 3;

Suddenly Stand-Up at The Duplex), and

and Jacqueline Novak (for "response to heckler" video, please click here).

8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

Comic Book Club

Hosted by Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage,

who enjoy discussing comic books while getting laughs.

Tonight's guest is Chris Grace, member of comedy improv troupe Fancy Dragon...

and, based on his photo above, quite possibly a comic book fan.

8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $5

Harold Night

The Harold is longform improv, pioneered by Del Close.

Tonight, five improv troupes—

Decoster, Tantrum, 1985, fwand, and Twelve Thousand Dollars

—each give it a go for 30 minutes, with

short breaks in between, for a total of 3 hours.

Some of the groups are great; some are less so. And this show

is designed more for students of improv than the general public.

But if you're interested, and patient, a mere $5 will buy you

a full evening's education...and periodic solid laughs.

8:00-11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Cracked Out, Leo Allen, and Dave Hill

Sweet

The sharp & witty Seth Herzog (VH1's Best Week Ever) is currently in LA,

so taking over hosting chores tonight will be Cracked Out:

artfully shocking chameleons Jon Daly & Brett Gelman parodying a hip-hop group.

For samples of the duo's mind-blowing videos, please click here and here,

and check out their album Fleetwood Cracked.

Tonight's guests include the wonderful

Dave Hill (written for The New York Times, Salon, HBO, and the eerie

Web site Black Metal Dialogues; written and performed for VH1, Spike TV,

The Learning Channel, and the fabulous Smoking Gun TV series; host monthly

UCBT extravaganza The Dave Hill Explosion—to learn more, please click here),

Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with

Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City), and

Jeff Kreisler (political comic who recently won the Bill Hicks Award for Provoking Thought;

writer for Comedy Central's Indecision; creator of the Comedy Against Evil tour;

author of upcoming book Get Rich Cheating).

9:00 pm at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street (corner of Stanton Street); tickets are $5

NYC Comedy Picks for Wednesday 11/14/07

Pat Shay

Red: Stories->Improv->Sketch

Comedy troupe Red tells stories off the top of their heads, then improvises scenes

based on the tales; and also perform sketches from material they improvised the previous week. It's a clever way of crafting a sketch show organically, week by week—and you can watch the whole process, at no charge. The group consists of Kevin Allison, Elna Baker (who's away this week), Chris Caniglia, Scott Eckert, Sarah Lowe, Sarah Nowak, Pat Shay, Nate Starkey, Shelly Stover, and Kevin Townley.

6:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free

Charlie Todd, Scott Bateman, and Matt McCarthy

The Rejection Show

Jon Friedman hosts a delightful parade of rejected material

by exceptional writers and performers. Tonight's guests include

Charlie Todd (prankster who's one of New York Magazine's Ten Funniest New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of) presenting material rejected by his group Improv Anywhere,

the cast of the recently canceled Buffy The Musical,

Scott Bateman (cartoonist who produced an animated short a day for a year; Plum TV's Scott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents; Salon.com weekly animated series), and

Matt McCarthy trying to resolve a dispute with The Other Baldwins.

There'll also be music from fabulous comedic rockabilly band The Defibulators.

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Margot Leitman, Jess Wood, and Rob Cantrell

Max!

Stand-up comedy normally hosted by the very funny Jenny Rubin and Matt McCarthy

(though Matt might not be there, as he's slated to be at UCBT on The Rejection Show).

Tonight's superb guests are

Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,

CBS's Late Late Show, VH1),

Margot Leitman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, VH1, ESPN;

co-host of red-hot NYC live comedy show Stripped Stories;

for Margot's fun reel, please click here),

Jess Wood (very funny stand-up; HBO's Def Jam Comedy;

for documentary about her, please click here),

Michelle Buteau (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend;

for stand-up video about Utah, sharing, and tits, please click here), and

Charlie Gaeta (for stand-up video about having a gay dad in North Carolina, please click here).

To get a feel for the show overall, please click here.

8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

Negin Farsad and Charles Star

Laughing Liberally

Political humor from stand-up comics

Negin Farsad (Comedy Central's The Watch List, comedy troupes Madame Funnypants

and Three Jews and a Persian, Laughing Liberally at Town Hall, host of NYC

live comedy show Dirty Immigrant Collective; for a video sample, please click here),

Charles Star (Onion News Network; Stay Free! Daily blog; host of monthly

Brooklyn comedy show Pant-Hoot; for a stand-up video about female suicide

bombers, 99 Cent Dreams, and "baby cancer," please click here),

James Adonian (frequently impersonates George W. Bush on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mad TV, Mind of Mencia, MTV's Celebrity Death Match),

Jamie Kilstein (2007 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival; has opened for

Lewis Black, Dave Chappelle, Dave Attel, and Marc Maron),

Lee Camp (Sometimes Funny Hurts DVD; SharkBaby Comedy News Webcast; Spike TV,

E!, Law and Order: SVU; for stand-up video on political hypocrisy, please click here), and

Hilary Schwartz (songwriter, guitarist and co-lead singer for Manson Family Singers).

8:00 pm at The Tank, 279 Church Street (bet. Franklin & White Streets);

tickets are $5 if you mention you're on the Laughing Liberally mailing list (otherwise $10)

Brett Gelman, Jessi Klein, and Leo Allen

Invite Them Up

Hosted by comedy greats Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale.

Tonight's stellar lineup includes

Jessi Klein (winner of 2003 ECNY Best Female Stand-Up award; Director

of Development at Comedy Central; Comedy Central's Premium Blend

and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn; VH1's Best Week Ever;

NBC's The Today Show; The Showbiz Show with David Spade;

voice of Lucy on Adult Swim's Lucy the Daughter of the Devil;

for a video stand-up sample about which celebrity would save

the most Jews, and on email etiquette, please click here and here),

Brett Gelman (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, Death by Roo Roo;

for samples of Brett's mind-blowing work with partner Jon Daly, please click here and here,

and also check out their hip-hop parody album Fleetwood Cracked),

Leo Allen (writer for Saturday Night Live 2002-2005; Late Night with Conan O'Brien,

Comedy Central Presents, Ed, Sex and the City),

Kumail (for very funny stand-up about the dark side of video games, odd memories,

and the many ways cell phones are eliminated in horror films, please click here),

James Adonian (frequently impersonates George W. Bush on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mad TV, Mind of Mencia, MTV's Celebrity Death Match), and

Harris Wittels (Jimmy Kimmel Live; writer for 2007 MTV Video Music Awards).

9:00 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

High School Talent Show's Ilana & Eliot Glazer (left) and Mindy Raf (right)

High School Talent Show and A Bit XXcessive

High School Talent Show is a fun extravaganza from brother-sister duo Eliot and Ilana Glazer

in which "Upper Central High School's brightest stars take to the stage to deliver rabble-rousing performances in song, dance, magic, slam poetry, stilts, and more!" The cast of enormously talented comics playing high school students includes Ann Carr, Carolyn Castiglia, Shawn Hollenbach, Rob Lathan, and brilliant writer/singer Mindy Raf.

And the other half of this double bill is A Bit XXcessive,

"a musical sketch show about our X chromosomes."

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Kurt Braunohler, Pat Shay, and Kimmy Gatewood

The Faculty and Sid Viscous

Some of the PIT's instructors—who include such talents as Ali Farahnakian,

Kurt Braunohler, Ptolemy Slocum, Jen Nails, Pat Shay, Matt Donnelly, Kevin Scott,

Rebekka Johnson, and Kimmy Gatewood—perform improv for around 30 minutes.

Afterwards, house improv troupe Sid Viscous takes the stage.

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); free

School Night

Host Justin Purnell provides a mix of guests who perform stand-up, improv, music,

and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly—

but for some (like me), that's part of the laid-back fun.

Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises,

that this free show makes possible.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free

NYC Comedy Picks for Thursday 11/15/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

Glennis McMurray as a thoroughly adorable 6-year-old hosting a talk show—with superb

comic guests Kurt Braunohler and Matt McCarthy—in Shootin' The Shizz With Molly McFizz (6:30 pm),

Livia Scott and Molly Prather in two smart, dark one-woman shows: Goodnight, O.J. and That Girl (8:00 pm),

Dave Hill demonstrating he's one of the sharpest, freshest, funniest comics around, with

comedic musical guests Lady Bunny and Touching You, at The Dave Hill Explosion (9:30 pm),

and the last of the 2007 quarter-final competitions at Pat Baer's 3-on-3 Improv Tournament (11:00).

Secret Hospital and Glennis McMurray: Shootin' The Shizz With Molly McFizz

Glennis McMurray (above right; Late Night with Conan O'Brien; half of acclaimed musical improv

group I Eat Pandas; writes popular blog; for video samples, please click here and here)

is adorable, brilliant, and hilarious as 6-year-old Molly McFizz...who hosts a talk show from her bedroom. Tonight's scheduled guests are stellar comics Kurt Braunohler and Matt McCarthy;

and, as usual, Molly's sassy Aunt Colleen.

Secret Hospital is a relatively new sketch comedy troupe consisting of Michael Hartney, Patrick Inglis, Rachel Korowitz, Stan Laikowski, Dan McInerney, and Jeff Scherer (for performer bios, please click here). Tonight is scheduled to feature Batman, Hitler, the Gay Hive Mind, and a Dr. Frank Fernando. For a fun video about how you should never shake a baby, please click here.

6:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); $5

Livia Scott and Molly Prather

Livia Scott: Goodnight, O.J. and Molly Prather: That Girl

Tonight, five bucks buys you two darkly funny one-woman shows.

Comedic chameleon Livia Scott (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, world-class sketch group Meat, Livia's Castle of Enchantment) wrote and performs Goodnight, O.J., which is based on a bestselling book...sort of: "In 1994, while he was in prison and on trial for murder, O.J. Simpson received over 300,000 letters. To help pay for his defense and gain public support, he had them published in a book called I Want to Tell You by O.J. Simpson: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions. Alternately humorous, disturbing, and poignant, Goodnight, O.J. explores the minds of the people who wrote him." For a video sample, please click here.

Directed by Baron Vaughn (MTV's The Gamekillers, VH1's Best Week Ever, Shoot the Messenger).

The other half of this double-bill is Molly Prather performing her one-woman show

That Girl, described as follows: "If you found yourself at a bachelor party

and someone offered you $600 to take off your shirt, you'd be an idiot not to? Right?"

This comedic play enjoyed a six-month run at UCBT-LA. Directed by Eric Hunicutt.

For an interview with Prather—and a photo demonstrating she's actually

way cuter than her show's scary poster—please click here.

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); $5

Smile Time with Sean and Shawn

Stand-up comedy hosted by Sean O'Connor (VH1; New York Posts

Top 20 Entertainers to Watch For in 2006; upcoming album Shmeat is Shmurder;

for hilarious stand-up videos, please click here and here), and

Shawn Pearlman ("If you're in a bad neighborhood, blowing a rape whistle

is like ringing a dinner bell;" for stand-up videos, please click here and here).

Tonight's guests haven't been announced, but this show has attracted some fine talent.

8:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

SpeakEasy: Stories from the Back Room

There is little as satisfying as a well-told funny story...

that is, unless you can have an entire evening packed with them.

Sherry Weaver hosts this lovely show, which she says she created because

"she couldn't convince people to climb into bed with her at night and tell her stories."

Tonight's production is in Brooklyn; and the yarn-spinners are James Braly, Chris Chalfant,

Ophira Eisenberg, Allison Landa, Terence Mickey, and Adam Wade.

For performer bios, please click here.

8:30 pm at Biscuit BBQ, 230 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope (at President Street);

$10 ticket plus one item (food or drink) minimum

Touching You, Dave Hill, and Lady Bunny

The Dave Hill Explosion

Dave Hill has written for The New York Times, Salon, HBO, and the eerie Web site Black Metal Dialogues. Dave has also written and performed for VH1, Spike TV, The Learning Channel, and the fabulous Smoking Gun TV series. Dave says, "Sometimes I miss being able to walk into the free clinic and stuff without being harassed by people who watch television really late at night, but for the most part I gotta say this 'fame thing' suits me well. Really, really well."

Indeed it does; Dave is an enormously witty, razor-sharp comic who never fails to entertain.

(For a write-up of the previous Dave Hill Explosion, please click here.)

Tonight's guests include drag queen Lady Bunny, who has appeared on HBO's Sex and the City; acted in such movies as To Wong Fu and Party Girl; and has created a DVD titled

Rated X (for X-tra Retarded). The latter features such observations as:

How does Clay Aiken remove a condom?

He farts.

What's the difference between a priest and acne?

Acne doesn't come on your face until you're 13.

Also a guest tonight is Touching You, a comedic musician who writes such songs as Humans Are Shit ("I love penguins/I hate humans/I love dolphins/I hate humans/Humans are shit.").

It promises to be a memorable show...

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Host Pat Baer

3-on-3 Improv Tournament

Throughout November, 21 select comedy troupes, each with three members, battle for audience votes in this Seventh Annual Citywide 3-on-3 Improv Tournament.

In addition, a wildcard team is chosen lottery-style from the audience during each quarter-final, making for a total of eight teams competing per evening. This wildcard group adds a delicious extra element of surprise, as well as making the audience feel like it's part of the action.

The four teams with the most votes from each quarter-final advance to the semi-finals on Saturday, November 24th.

This tournament is hosted by the wonderful and invaluable Pat Baer (above).

The primary surprise last week was that the 2006 Tournament winners, Presidents of Roo (brilliant Death by Roo Roo improv comics Neil Casey, John Gemberling, and Curtis Gwinn), decided to drop out of the competition. They were quickly replaced by a new team headed by Matt DeCoster.

Otherwise, things turned out pretty much as one would expect, based on skill and collective experience. The four winners were:

3D-Beard (Henry Kaiser, Joe Randazzo, and Chris Ryan)

Outlook of the Poet (Jonathan Gabrus, Ben Rodgers, and Gavin Speiller)

The Treehouse (Spike Friedman, Aaron Glaser, and Will Storie)

Zampanò (the new team of Matt DeCoster, Megan Neuringer, and Andy Rocco)

These groups will join C, C + C Improv Factory, Frankenstein Eyes, Hot Sauce, and JAK in the semi-finals on November 24th.

The eight teams for tonight's concluding 2007 quarter-final competition are, in order of scheduled appearance:

Jumanji Flying (Jake Goldman, Mike Kroll, and Luke Meginsky)

We Are All The Same Guy (Alex Clark, Craig Rowin, and Joe Wengert)

SPANXXX (Jamie Skinner, Emily Tarver, and Ranee Vespi)

Ultimate Roomies (Sean Clements, John Frusciante, and Joe Spellman)

3/5ths Dudes (Eugene Cordero, Chris Gethard, and Bobby Moynihan)

Sidecar (Matt Fisher, Alden Ford, and Justin Tyler)

Salizar (Michael Martin, Pam Murphy, and Morgan Phillips)

Wildcard Team #3

The above includes some awesome talent—the Cordero/Gethard/Moynihan group is worth the trip all by itself. And if you're a performer, don't miss your last shot at the enjoyably unpredictable audience stand-in...the wildcard team.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

NYC Comedy Picks for Friday 11/16/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

Thanks for Stuffing, a lively musical comedy about Thanksgiving, from

one of the most charming & entertaining groups in NYC, The Apple Sisters (7:00 pm),

cartoonist Dan Piraro, stellar comedy producer/publicist Kambri Crews, and more at Family Hour (7:00 pm),

superb stand-up and voiceover comedy hosts Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson at Power Hour (8:30 pm),

and some of the finest improv comedy in NYC from The Stepfathers (9:30 pm) and Death by Roo Roo (11:00 pm).

Photo on left: Rebekka Johnson, Kimmy Gatewood, and Sarah Lowe

The Apple Sisters: Thanks for Stuffing

The lovely Kimmy Gatewood, who is an exceptionally talented writer, director, and comedic performer, demonstrates that she's also great at singing and dancing—partnered beautifully with Rebekka Johnson and Sarah Lowe, and Tom Thomsen on keyboard—in this homage to 1940s girl groups like The Andrew Sisters. From the official description: "The Apple Sisters are Candy, Cora, and Seedy. Their mother, Ms. Reddy Apple, was a vaudeville star and she passed down the legacy to her three girls! The trio present their live show, broadcast on WXYZ AM Radio, straight to the troops in Germany, and present the show on stage at the Peoples Improv Theater in their first and favorite home, the Big Apple! Be a chum and always use Doramad Toothpaste, now with Thorium!"

During November, these wonderful gals will be doing a show revolving around Thanksgiving.

To get a feel for the production, please click here & here & here & here.

And for the amazing Ms. Gatewood's latest video—her profile on the

revolutionary matchmaking service Ché-Date—please click here.

7:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street; tickets are $10 at the door,

or you can pay $9.19 (including service charge) buying online by clicking here

The multi-talented Eliza Skinner portrays three women so horrible you have to laugh

Eliza Skinner: Shameless

Eliza Skinner (member of the genius improv musical groups I Eat Pandas

and Baby Wants Candy; drummer and singer in the band Stickerbook; MTV's Damage Control) plays a mother, a wife, and a party girl who are mean, vicious, and hilarious.

7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Happy children with "Aunt" Sara Benincasa...

...and guests Dan Piraro, Kambri Crews, and Rachel Feinstein

Family Hour with Auntie Sara

Hosted by comic/actress Sara Benincasa (for hilarious video sample,

please click here). Tonight's scheduled guests are

Dan Piraro (delightful cartoonist best known for his award-winning syndicate strip Bizarro;

for an MP3 radio interview, please click here),

Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Samurai Love God, Court TV's

Parko PI, regular on Sirius Satellite Radio, written for The Onion and Heeb Magazine),

Kambri Crews (fabulous comedy publicist & producer, actress, and stand-up;

for video of Kambri reading her jailed deaf dad's wedding toast, please click here),

Sean Lynch (writer for Comedy Central, MTV, and Showtime),

Danny Leary (Comix, UCBT), Jennifer Prediger, and Mara Herron.

7:00 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

Chris Coxen's League of Characters

Chris Coxen makes you laugh via a bizarre and varied League of Characters. These include Future Queer (above left), a gay time-traveler who offers shocking revelations from the year 2912; Ripps McCoxen (above right), who keeps in shape by bench pressing air conditioners, transmissions, and even holidays such as Thanksgiving; Danny Morsel, a performer combining dance and combat; Barry Tattle, a Bermuda crooner and lover; and Stever Pate, a self-help speaker known as "The Man Bomb of Motivation." Says the show description, "Mix these elements with some videos, and live music from Nick D'Amico and Pete Tentindo, and you're looking at a show filled to the brim with jazziness and edible synergy." For a video of Danny Morsel being speedily rejected by NBC's Last Comic Standing, please click here; and for a brief video overview of Coxen's show, please click here.

8:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson

Power Hour

Hosted by Greg Johnson (sharp, quick-witted stand-up comic)

and Larry Murphy (brilliant voiceover actor who performs all the

key characters on Adult Swim's Assy McGee; other TV series include

Home Movies, O'Grady, Cheapseats, Computer Lab, Puppets N Such;

for an animated VO reel, please click here).

Tonight's guests haven't been announced yet; to check Greg's blog

for an update, please click here.

8:30 pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Bobby Moynihan, Zach Woods, Christina Gausas, Michael Delaney, and Chris Gethard

The Stepfathers

Some of the smartest & finest improv comics in NYC—Michael Delaney, Christina Gausas,

Chris Gethard, Will Hines, Bobby Moynihan, Shannon O'Neill, Silvija Ozols,

and Zach Woods—make up a series of scenes from a one-word audience suggestion.

With art and grace, these star talents will make you laugh—a lot.

9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

According to the Spurn Web site, this sketch group has "amassed a cultish following and a cast who blindly throw themselves into the most questionable of onstage situations, bless their black little hearts." For examples of the troupe's work, please click here and here.

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10

The Made-Up Musical

Veteran improvisors Scott Glover and John O'Donnell,

accompanied by a rotating cast that might include

such superb talents as Eliza Skinner or Tara Copeland or Jeff Hiller

—and with Frank Spitznagel on piano—

turn an interview with an audience member

into a musical they make up on the spot.

10:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $7

Dirty Immigrant Collective

Writer/producer/political humorist Negin Farsad (Comedy Central's The Watch List,

comedy troupes Madame Funnypants and Three Jews and a Persian;

for a video sample, please click here) hosts this show featuring

comics from "hilariously marginalized descent."

Typically, Negin and two other skilled stand-ups each perform a set.

10:00 pm at The Culture Project, 55 Mercer Street (at Broome Street); tickets are $12

Stacy Mayer, Laura Dillman, and Jeremiah Murphy

Manhattan Comedy Collective: Halloween Show

If you'd like to experience a gentler, more relaxed, but still quite smart type of improv, visit the Manhattan Comedy Collective run by the wonderful Stacy Mayer (who's quick as lightning, but much funnier). Every Friday features Character Dogville, in which performers dress up as odd characters and spontaneously interact with each other.

Tonight's special spin on the concept is the Character Dogville Game Show,

in which the audience is asked trivia questions by strange folks and awarded prizes.

In addition, the evening will feature sketch comedy from Secret Hospital,

a relatively new but already respected troupe consisting of Michael Hartney,

Patrick Inglis, Rachel Korowitz, Stan Laikowski, Dan McInerney, and Jeff Scherer

(for performer bios, please click here). For the group's fun video about how you should

never shake a baby, please click here.

10:00 pm at the Sage Theatre, 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor (between 47th and 48th Streets);

tickets are $8 online (with no service charge) and $10 at the door

Death by Roo Roo: Your F*cked Up Family

Arguably the gutsiest improv troupe in NYC, the brilliant comics of Death by Roo Roo—Anthony Atamanuik, Neil Casey, Jackie Clarke, Brett Gelman, John Gemberling, and Curtis Gwinn—interview an audience member about family and then act out his or her life story via improvised scenes. Sometimes scary, and usually hilarious.

11:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

4 Track!

Springboarding from a word suggested by the audience, improvisors

George Basil, Frank Campanella, Christian Capozzoli, and Matt Evans

create group scenes that send four characters down different paths...

but end up making the characters collide into each other.

10:00 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Jammin' With Ralph

To perform improvisation at UCBT, you must spend years taking classes and carefully perfecting your craft...or you can come to this monthly free show, which allows audience members to jump on stage and participate! Hosted by popular long-form improv troupe fwand (Dominic Dierkes, Jonathan Gabrus, Sean Hart, Kevin Hines, Ellie Kemper, Shannon O'Neill, Gil Ozeri, and Greg Tuculescu).

Midnight at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); free

NYC Comedy Picks for Saturday 11/17/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

star-packed improvisation from writers & performers at 30 Rock, The Colbert Report,

and The Daily show who joyously declare Let's Have a Ball (7:30 pm),

improv comedy mixed with audience-supplied music at the rockin' Mother: The Soundtrack (9:00 pm),

hilarious sketch comedy from the inventive Harvard Sailing Team (9:30 pm),

improv comedy revolving around TV shows from stellar troupe Reuben Williams (10:30 pm),

and a special event: the on-strike members of NBC's SNL performing Saturday Night Live at UCBT! (11:30 pm).

Let's Have a Ball

Some of the sharpest writers and performers in NYC get together for long-form improv fun.

Tonight's scheduled participants are Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock, and co-director & cast member of Adult Swim's brilliant & Emmy-winning Moral Orel), Kay Cannon (writer for 30 Rock), Becky Drysdale (One Woman in Several Pieces, HBO.com's upcoming Time Traveling Lesbian), Christina Gausas (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Stepfathers, Dorff & Gausas), Peter Gwinn (writer for The Colbert Report), Anthony King (UCBT-NY Artistic Director, Reuben Williams, Gutenberg! The Musical), Laura Krafft (writer for The Colbert Report), Tami Sagher (writer for 30 Rock; writer and producer for Mad TV 2001-2006), and Rob Riggle (correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; Saturday Night Live, The Office).

7:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

The Tiny Spectacular

Magnet instructors & Second City veterans such as Rachel Hamilton, Ed Herbstman, Abby Sher, and Miriam Tolan, plus stars of Mother: The Soundtrack (see below) Jason Mantzoukas, Tara Copeland, James Eason, Christine Walters, plus occasional special guests (such as superstar Mike Meyers), turn a tiny suggestion into larger-than-life improvised scenes.

7:30 pm at The Magnet Theatre, 254 West 29th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $5

Stu Luth, Mel DeLancey, and Dan Maccarone

Slightly Known People Is Seeing Other People

Slightly Known People—Erik Bowie, Mel DeLancey, Stu Luth,

Dan Maccarone, and Josh Mertz—performs funny songs and sketch comedy.

In this weekly show SKP invites other talented comics

to come play along with it for an evening.

Tonight's guests are sketch troupe ZehlSteen ThinkPound,

burlesque group The Peach Tartes, and Moth champion storyteller Adam Wade.

For a hilarious SKP video deconstructing Billy Joel, please click here.

For a review of the show, please click here.

8:00ish pm at Rififi, 332 East 11th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues); tickets are $5

Burger Hootch

Sketch comedy from Karl Greenberg and friends covering such topics as "a burger chain that flash cooks its burgers with nuclear weapons; a TV exec battling stiff competition from The Meat Channel; a car dealer in Tallahassee who faces mutiny from his own swimming pool; and a hospital patient who will die if he doesn't watch TV."

8:00 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $10

Drink at Work

Comedic variety show hosted by Carol Hartsell (above) and Sean Crespo

(stand-up comic and prolific filmmaker; for samples, please click here and here and here).

Tonight's guests are Rob Lathan, Mark Douglas & Rob Gorden,

Sven Wechsler, Anthony Devito, and Molly Reisman.

8:30 pm, Ochi's Lounge at Comix, 353 West 14th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues);

no cover, 1 drink or food item minimum (on low-cost menu; e.g., draft beer for $4-$5)

Mother: The Soundtrack

Jason Mantzoukas leads a vibrant team of improv comics—Scot Armstrong, Tara Copeland, Jon Daly, James Eason, Jesse Falcon, Doug Moe, and Christine Walters—who make up scenes based on CD tracks contributed by the audience. One of UCBT's most beloved shows.

8:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

The Harvard Sailing Team: On the Jitney

The Harvard Sailing Team (which was superb in SketchFest NYC 07)

performs their special brand of fresh, imaginative sketch comedy

that turns familiar rituals on their head. (For a video about awkward goodbyes

at the end of a party, please click here.) The very talented troupe consists of

Rebecca Brey, Jen Curran, Clayton Early, Faryn Einhorn, Katie Larson,

Adam Lustick, Chris Smith, Billy Scafuri, and Sara Taylor.

9:30 pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 154 West 29th Street (off 7th Avenue); tickets are $8

Reuben Williams: As Seen on TV

Anthony King demonstrates that in addition to running UCBT-NY brilliantly, he's a formidable improv performer. Joining him are stellar talents Eugene Cordero, Lennon Parham, Charlie Sanders, Eric Scott, Kate Spencer, Charlie Todd, and Joe Wengert. Together, they turn an audience suggestion into a TV series...and perform it for you on the spot.

10:00 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $8

Saturday Night Live: On Strike!

The TV version of NBC's Saturday Night Live is on hold

right now because of the Writers Guild strike.

The cast and writers have therefore decided to perform

their show live tonight at UCBT!

Advance reservations rapidly sold out; but if you're willing to wait

on a standby line, there might be standing room tickets available.

11:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue); tickets are $20

NYC Comedy Picks for Sunday 11/18/07

Tonight's recommendations for the best in NYC live comedy include

UCBT's playground for celebrities and ace improvisors, ASSSSCAT 3000 (7:30 & 9:30 pm),

and razor-sharp stand-up comics Tom Shillue and John Mulaney joining hosts

Eugene Mirman & Michael Showalter in Brooklyn for Tearing the Veil of Maya (7:45ish pm).

ASSSSCAT 3000

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's signature show, which features a monologist telling stories based on audience suggestions and a group of top improvisers (sometimes including stars such as SNL's Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz) creating scenes based on the stories. There are two shows every Sunday which share the same format, but are otherwise entirely different because everything is improvised. The 7:30 pm show is $8; advance tickets might be sold out by the time you read this, but a limited number of seats are available at the door for those who arrive early enough to nab 'em. The 9:30 show is free, with tickets distributed outside the theatre at 8:15 pm; but again, you may need to come early and wait on line to ensure getting into this first come, first served performance.

7:30 pm & 9:30 pm at UCBT, 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue)