"Well, my week is off to an incredibly surreal and unexpected start. I got to be the 5th Beatle for the sketch group Hey You Millionaires last night as they faced off against the Canadian sketch kings Kids in the Hall in a couple matches of Whirlyball.
I’m still not entirely clear on the context of the match, but it’s part of an article for Time Out Chicago. The group Hey You Millionaires (at right) took their name from the first line uttered in the first episode of Kids in the Hall’s HBO series, so Time Out thought it’d be nice for them to square off.
I arrived at Whirlyball very early, and sat around watching a baseball game waiting for everyone else to show up. I was still a little suspicious that this entire thing was a big prank, so when about fifteen 9-year olds ran in through the entrance screaming, I thought, “oh, nice guys. Kids. In a hall. Har har.” But soon after the little kids, Hey You Millionaires walked in… and the four of us nervously split a pitcher waiting for the super mega famous people to arrive.
They arrived, and we played two rounds of Whirlyball. I scored two of our three total goals. We lost the first match, we won the second match. This epic battle between the US and Canada ended in a tie. I was defended by Kevin McDonald. I scored on him twice. How cool is that? I was doing pretty well at keeping my cool until I scored my first goal. But that had nothing to do with Kids in the Hall. I’ve just never scored at Whirlyball before."
Comedy.com's "Grand Theft Auto IV" report, starring Renee Gauthier and Mike Bridenstine:
Promo for the upcoming sketch show Stimulus Package:
Chicago Underground Comedy - DC Comedy Fest Audition Showcase Highlight Reel, from April 22, 2008. Featuring Adam Burke, Fay Canale, Brendan McGowan, Dan Telfer, Carrie Callahan, Chad Briggs, Steve O. Harvey, Team Submarine, Brady Novak, and Nick Vatterott. Individual sets can be seen here.
T's bar (at 5025 N. Clark) is hosting a raffle and fund-raiser for Flashlite productions "Good Crazy/Bad Crazy" on Wednesday the 30th from 8:00 p.m. until closing time (2:00 a.m.) for its run at the Apollo Studio. Get in on the fun of date auctions, a kissing booth, raffles and prizes and drink specials. "Good Crazy/Bad Crazy" written and performed by Sarah King (pictured at right), is a Time Out Chicago Critic's Pick.
Show up at iO at 8:30 on Wednesday, April 30 for pizza and snacks with Charna Halpern, as well as a screening of the Real World episode featuring Charna trying to impart some improv concepts to a houseful of oversexed Real World partyers.
"...I spent the last three months of 2007 being the mentor and “the job” for the cast of the 20th season of The Real World. What an amazing experience. Its one thing to teach beginning improvisers who come here. They love the work, they’ve seen it and they want in. But these kids came from a different perspective. They approached it with raised eyebrows and were pretty scared. And partying was foremost on their minds."
Chicago Reader Would Like You To Pick Your Favorite Chicago Comedy
Inside this week's Reader is a ballot where you can vote for your favorite things about Chicago. Comedy is one of the categories, which are broken down thusly:
1. Best stand-up
2. Best improviser
3. Best improv group
4. Best sketch group
5. Best place to see improv/sketch that isn't iO or Second City
Results will be published in the June 26 issue of the Reader. You can also vote online right here.
Del Close Biographer on Panel Discussion at Second City Tomorrow Night
The life of Chicago improv legend Del Close will be explored tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 29, at 6:00 p.m.) at Second City (1608 N. Wells). Longtime Close friend Kim "Howard" Johnson will discuss his new book The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close during a panel discussion, and Tim Kazurinsky and Michael Gellman will also be performing in an autobiographical one-act play which was written by Close. The event will be held in the E.T.C. Theater and admission is free.
A long excerpt from the book, and a video clip of Close's last birthday party can be seen here, in the Reader. Here's a clip of Johnson on ABC7, talking about Close and his book.
Jared Logan, who shined in his special show "Jared Logan Unlimited" recently at Chicago Underground Comedy, can now be seen in a hot sneak preview clip from season three of Live at Gotham on Comedy Central's web site. Also featured is fellow Chicago comedian Michael Palascak, helping to make a strong Chicago presence felt elsewhere in the comedy world.
Friend of Chicago comedy Jeff Tobin interviewed Kids in the Hall legend Scott Thompson for the Boston Herald.
iO's Bill Arnett is musing about the recent publication of the biography of Chicago improv prophet Del Close, The Funniest One in the Room. "I never knew him as a person...The most recent thing I stole from Del was a note he gave to one of his students many decades ago....The note is that you should always be talking to your scene partner and never to the audience. When people break the moment and go for a joke they are talking to the audience. That’s it. Every line you speak is meant for your scene partners ears alone. In Harold openings, games and non-verbal organic physical explorations ever action is in response to and soley intended for your partner. That is the only person you will ever talk too."
Mike Bridenstine in the CBS Comedy Cage Match:
Oh, and Chicago comic Dan Polydoris is in yet another Butterfinger commercial:
40 people have been shot in our city in the last week. Global food inflation has prompted Sam's Club to restrict consumer purchases of rice. Gasoline is $3.75 in Chicago, and $4 in other parts of the United States. Arby's is buying Wendy's. What the hell is going on? We don't know either, so we're going to drown our sorrows in comedy. We suggest you do the same.
The Chicago Improv Festival, gearing up for its June improv blowout, is hosting Preview Weekend this Friday and Saturday nights at Donny's Skybox, Second City. Ten Chicago acts will perform in the preview shows, including Whirled News Tonight, Revolver, pHamily, Pimprov, Dirty Water, BASSPROV, Cornwallis, The Reckoning, Wing Night, and Barinholtz & Belushi. Tickets are $12.
Prescott Tolk's stand-up album recording and show tonight at the Lakeshore Theater is the Reader's Critic's Pick. Slip a measly $10 out of your pocket and be there for what's sure to be a fantastic show.
Also tonight catch Kyle Kinane as he makes his second stand-up appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly, 12:35 a.m. Central time.
Comics want to be on tv? Advice from Dan French, at Shecky Magazine. "There are six things a comic needs in order to get on TV, in no particular order: a killer showcase set, a connected manager, the ability to be schmoozey, the ability to audition, the ability to act, and a cosmically lucky fit between what is needed and what you are."
Bob Odenkirk will be shooting a special with Jeff Garlin at Second City on May 12.
The Bastion got to chat with comedian and writer Elvira Kurt, who will be performing at the Annoyance Theatre Thursday (tomorrow). She takes the stage with her stand-em-ups at 7:30 and 9 p.m. with special guest Ben Lerman, then will play with an all-star cast of Messing with a Friend at 10:30 p.m.
Kurt is a Second City alum, originally from Toronto, Canada. She took over hosting duties from Scott Thompson on Logo's First Comes Love 2, a reality show about gay and lesbian couples having the wedding of their dreams. The network has decided not to continue the series, however, which leaves Kurt opportunity to pursue other writing and television opportunities. Kurt gave us the lowdown: "A TV show about comic books is in the works for the SPACE network in Canada and I'm soooooooooo excited about that because I am a huge comic book geek. There's other stuff for TV in various stages of development and live shows in the U.S. and Canada, but did I mention I'll be doing a TV show about comic books?"
Asked about her comedic inspirations, Kurt summed it up for us with a description of her personality and relationship: ""I tend to see the worst in a situation, not the best. I blame it on being Eastern European, even our happy is just a variation of sad. It sucks for my girlfriend because she's the exact opposite of me, she always sees the good in everything and I'm such a drag, all negative all the time. But we have an excellent relationship. Her self esteem is so low she has no idea that she can do way better than me. So as long as I keep chipping away at it, a little bit every day... we'll be together forever!"
A music video for The Broken West's cover of "Back in Your Head", starring Matt Dwyer and Matt Braunger:
Highlights from Chicago Underground Comedy, April 15, 2008, featuring Dan Telfer, Bryan Bowden, Mike Stanley, Andy Ross, Robert Buscemi, Team Submarine, and Prescott Tolk:
Team Submarine puts a new spin on tried-and-true bits by performing with ice down their pants:
Bra Therapy part 6, with comedienne Julianna Forlano:
Talkin' Funny - Season 5 - Episode 3. Sasha and the Noob talk to The Puterbaugh Sisters:
Talkin' Funny - Season 5 - Episode 4. Special guest Paul Konrad, WGN's Super Cool Weather Dude:
The Bastion chatted a bit with sketch/stand-up/character impresario Ken Barnard prior to his three-in-one man show this week at the Lincoln Lodge, 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Based in Chicago, Ken has been featured at The Second City, The Improv Comedy Club, and is a fixture at Chicago Underground Comedy, The Lincoln Lodge, and Blewt! Productions. Tickets for $10 can be bought here.
So what's "Get Into It" all about? How did the opportunity for a one-man show come about and what was the writing process like?
Get Into It, at its heart, is a comedy experience centered around things that I have a deep passion and curiosity for. I'm asking people to "get into" all of these peculiar interests of mine. It's the kind of stuff that will make people's eyes widen and then they'll rub their hands together while making an excitable motor-noise from their mouths. I want the show to be like Christmas morning, but over two nights in April.
There will be jokes, oh yes, There Will Be Jokes, but the show is a more of a vehicle for my unconventional performance comedy pieces. Jokes, music, and bits, it's a 3-in-one man show!
What's the history of your comic development? Where have you studied, learned, performed?
I did plays in high school and sketch, improv, and a little bit of stand-up in college. It wasn't until I came to Chicago five years ago that I really began developing my solo act.
I'm definitely a product of the Chicago comedy scene and I'm proud of that. It's a great place to learn and experiment, and I'm still doing both. I'm learning every night. You gotta do leg work in your mind after a set. Figure out where things went wrong and where they went right, how they could be better. My job as a comedian doesn't end after the laughter subsides. That's something I've learned.
Where would you like to be in about five years, in terms of your comedy goals?
I'd like to be a full-time entertainer, no day job. You dig?
I want to have a more extensive library of on-camera work. I just did a video with Steve Delahoyde that will debut at Get Into It. So, I'm working on that one.
Doing a world tour is on my list, and not just English-speaking countries. I'd love to be able to entertain an audience despite an otherwise crippling language barrier. I think that it's definitely possible to make a group of people laugh who have no idea what you're saying. It's not always about the words.
I'd also like to have a kid. Great comedy fodder, those.
What's your favorite comedy? Who makes you laugh the most?
My favorite comedy is what I'd call "stupid" comedy. I think that stupid comedy is really smart. Weird stuff that throws the audience for a loop. They may not get it right off the bat, but as long as the performer commits to it from the top, nothing is better.
I'd say that Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman are my biggest influences and they definitely embody smart stupid comedy. I like bunches of comics; Maria Bamford is badass and Brady Novak is great (he's also in the short film that Steve Delahoyde shot which will premier on April 24 and 25. Get Into It!).
What do you do when you're not being funny?
I like chillin' out, biking around, going to IMAX movies, camping, cooking, and playing Nintendo Wii. I get some of my greatest pleasure and inspiration from other live performances. I see a lot of dance, a bit of art, and about four Elvis impersonators a year. I love comedy, but I definitely enjoy my down time.
I also, apparently, enjoy using the word "definitely". Here's one last one: Everyone is definitely invited to Get Into It on April 24 and 25. Get Into It!
Veritable glut of special shows this week, guys. First of all, the D.C. Comedy Fest producers are in town and are going to be checking out performances all week.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Chicago Underground Comedy welcomes the festival to their line-up, featuring ten of the city's best local stand-ups, including Nick Vatterott, Adam Burke, Brendan McGowan, Dan Telfer, Carrie Callahan, Brady Novak, Fay Canale, Steve O. Harvey, and Chad Briggs. Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, 9:30 p.m., regular $5 admission WAIVED in honor of the festival.
Then on Wednesday at 7 p.m. there's a FREE sketch and improv showcase at the Playground Theater, 3209 Halsted, featuring sets from The Puterbaugh Sisters, Seeder & Lee, Turbo, Hey You Millionaires, Ken Barnard, and Money Kids.
On Thursday, the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, will welcome Second City alum and co-host of the second season of First Comes Love, Elvira Kurt. Here she will perform two stand-up shows (7:30 and 9 p.m.), and then join an all-star cast for that evening's Messing with a Friend at 10:30 p.m. Stay tuned for some words from the lady herself later this week!
That same night, Prescott Tolk will record his live album, "I Can Complain", at the Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, 8 p.m.
And ALSO on Thursday (and Friday, thankfully), sketch/stand-up impresario/rabble rouserKen Barnard performs his "three man" show, "Get Into It", effectively taking over the Lincoln Lodge, 4009 N. Lincoln, at 9 p.m., for a two-night stand. See our interview with Ken tomorrow for more information and intrigue!
Team Submarine is moving to New York (where they will room with Jared Logan, which is a sitcom if we ever saw one) and is performing a farewell show tonight, April 18th at The Playground Theater at 10:00 PM. As they excitedly say on their blog, the show features "some of our favorite performers in the city. Hosting the show will be the wonderful Team Submarine, with opening act Team Submarine and then of course your headliner Team Submarine." Be there for hugs, tears, pizza, and jokery.
Lincoln Lodger C.J. Toledano, who is a Columbia College student as well as a stand-up comic, is runner-up in Rooftopcomedy.com's National College Comedy Competition, and he can be voted into the finals as a wild card selection. Check out his clip here and register to vote and re-enter him in the competition. Get him back in the contest and he has a shot at going to Aspen! Check out a recent clip of him below:
They've been on hiatus for awhile, but now they're coming back with a vengeance! The first Schadenfreude Rent Party of the season is this Saturday, April 19, at 9:00 at the Gallery Cabaret (2020 North Oakley). We don't know how crazy things will get, but we do know several comedy friends who have been asked be "PBR Girls" for the night. Ambassadors of Alcohol, if you will.
Expect the comedy stylings of Mike and Duane, Team Submarine, Chicago Public Radio host Jimmy Carrane, 80’s Clown, and the apes of Impress These Apes. Not to mention cheap beer specials and free bar foods including beef and wings. And, until YouTube notices the copyright violation, enjoy this Schadenfreude remix of Kanye's video "Homecoming", starring Schadenfreude themselves:
...three of them! First, two open mics have sprung up.
According to a tip from Jeb Cadwell, The Old Cork Lounge open mic (which was on Tuesdays) is back on, this time on Thursday nights at 10:00 (sign-ups at 9:30). It will be hosted by Steve Mulcahy and friends, with a respectable policy of no shortcutting in line and and no signing up friends who have not yet arrived. Imagine! The Cork Lounge is at 1822 W. Addison Street at Wolcott, right next to the Addison brown line stop.
And Adam Burke has opened up a new open mic Thursday nights at 9:00 (signups at 8:30) at Whiskey Road (1935 N. Damen Avenue, south of Armitage). Burke will mostly host the show himself, although this week Chad Briggs will be filling in for him. Burke says the bar's owners are very cool and supportive of the whole comedy thing, and show attendees can enjoy $2 PBRs and $2 mystery beers.
And, finally, you can also BYOB to the Playground Theater (3209 N. Halsted) on Thursday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 (doors open at 5:00) for Thursday Happy Hour, featuring solo comedy from Paul Thomas, Jeff Madden, Wendy Mateo, and Pat O'Brien. That's some strong talent there, boys and girls. Couple that with a Star Wars thermos of strong liquor and you're all set.
Die hard Chicago comedy fans see him host the top notch showcase/open mic "Your Sunday Best" at Schubas every Sunday night. The album, "I Can Complain," will be recorded at the special show, and you can click here for a special two-for-one ticket offer.
Check out this classic Tolk Blerds video, "Convenience Store," also featuring Mike Wiley, Mike Holmes, and Next Big Thing (sez us andlots of other people) Kumail Nanjiani:
Todd Barry is coming to the Lakeshore Theater on April 19 at 7:30. Tickets are $20.
You may have seen him recently as the "unwanted bongo player" on Flight of the Conchords. Barry explained how he got that gig in a recent Onion interview:
"I know those guys—I met them in 2004, I think, when I did a festival in Australia. We sort of crossed paths a number of times in different festivals, and when they came to New York and when I went to L.A. We just became friends. I auditioned for another role a while ago. I didn't get that, or they cut that part out, or whatever. Then they said, 'We have something better for you,' and they wrote this thing. I said, 'Wow, that's a pretty big part.' A pretty big, annoying part."
The Economist has teamed up with Second City to create The Art of Satire, which hopes to do some interesting things with the art of political satire. They're making lots of short films and are staging some live shows, as well.
The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of all Time (from nerve.com). More cowbell? You can have them. Ass pennies? Help yourself. Celebrity Jeopardy? That's there, too. See if you agree with their picks.
The Comic's Comic has a review of Kumail's "Unpronounceable" online now.
From the writeup: "It's a very personal and quite poignant work, punctuated by powerful punchlines...Kumail Nanjiani stood out to me the first time I saw and heard him more than a year ago during auditions for Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival, and now that we live in the same city and get to see him repeatedly, I and many other comedians continue to be impressed."
"Where Goths Go to Die" by CollarsUp (featuring Mackenzie Condon):
ESPN Bracketologists - The Fisherman (featuring Thomas Middleditch):
"Doubles Tennis," by Think Tank:
And, because “Butterfinger is a brand that truly celebrates clever, witty humor,” Chicago comedians Dan Polydoris and Bryan Bowden star in Finger Flicks Episode 1, "Bellboy":
Impress These Apes - Season 3 teaser:
Bra Therapy, with Julianna Forlano:
Blewtenanny Stand Up Showcase Highlights, from March 29, 2008, featuring Bryan Bowden, Neil Arsenty, Fuzzy Gerdes, Mike Wiley, and Ken Barnard.
In response to Cunt Gun's Globe Gong Idol win on Monday night, Snatch Batch, aka Bucket of Nerds:
Today's post is a special report from Justin Kaufmann, member of the sketch group Schadenfreude, who performed at this month's Interview Show, hosted by Chicago Tribune humor columnist Mark Bazer. Interviewees included local crime author Marcus Sakey, filmmaker Steve Delahoyde, and yes, local hip-hop artist (and Bastion favorite) Rhymefest. Stand-up comedy interlude provided by Jena Friedman.
You can catch Schadenfreude and friends at the long-awaited return of Rent Party April 19 at Gallery Cabaret.
Friday night, Schadenfreude was honored to get up on stage with Rhymefest (Chicago rap fame). He was a guest on the Mark Bazer hosted "The Interview Show", which runs the first Fridays of every month at the Hideout. We've known Mark a long time and he introduced the idea to Rhymefest's people of doing a sketch to end the show. At first we said yes. Then we reconsidered and said yes again. We wrote up a quick bit in which Kate James and myself play a yuppie South Loop couple that is looking to produce Rhymefest's next record. Best joke of the night: "You can trust us Rhyme. We are from the south side like you. RF: Where on the south side? Schad: Dearborn and Roosevelt? Next to that new Whole Foods? Actually it's pre-construction...." When Rhymefest showed up at the Hideout, we worked out the bit. He had received a copy of the script and he had it ready. He even changed up lines and made better jokes. We invited him to join Schad on the spot. He said...no. I guess this rap stuff is working for him. Whatever Rhyme, did we mention we are playing Gallery Cabaret next week? No. Big. Deal.
The bit went over great, even though the show was over-time and halfway through our bit the house manager said something like "get off the stage" from the house mic. Um, awesome. Like most Schad gigs, we made it seem as if we jumped from the audience and crashed the stage. But even though that was the feel of the bit, we took at least 2 months worth of table reading, workshopping, all day symposium work and 14 days of rehearsal to make it "seem" that way for the 2 minute riff. That's how dedicated we are to the craft. So house manager, save it for your alt country band that used to be in the side project of a side project that used to be called the Mekons. All in all, Rhymefest was great and it was a huge ego-stroke to get on stage with him. We love his music (the genre) and it was another cool moment with a cool Chicagoan. Now if we could get the guys from Walter E. Smithe to do a bit? You build it, we dream it.
-Justin Kaufmann
Happy Monday, Chicago. If you're like us, the sunshine makes you want to ditch work and head out on your bike to a park or the beach. In fact, we're going to do just that, so here's a brief post. And no whining: we were super-posting overachievers on Friday.
"I got a fortune cookie today. It said I should invest in something fun on four wheels. I don't know if that meant I should get a new car, or a prostitute on one roller skate."
The article puts him in good company: other comedians quoted include Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Ricky Gervais, and Chris Rock.
SteveDelahoyde is a Chicago-based filmmaker who contributes a lot to the Chicago comedy scene. He does a lot of good work with Schadenfreude and is responsible for one of our favorite short comedy films, "Dungeons and Dragons," starring Jared Logan, Kumail Nanjiani, and Robert Buscemi. Delahoyde will be at the Hideout tonight at 6:30 as a guest on Mark Bazer's Interview Show, along with author Marcus Sakey and other guests.
How did you get roped into the comedy shenanigans here in Chicago? Aren't you a "straight" filmmaker?
With most of everything I do, I have absolutely no idea how it happened. I moved from Phoenix to Iowa City, Iowa about five years ago. My then-girlfriend, now-fiancee, lived in Chicago, so, for about two years, I would drive here and stay every weekend. So Chicago felt a lot more like home than did Iowa. She and I had met through writing for humor magazines, and she was already traveling in Chicago's writer-y circles, so I got to know a lot of her friends and they'd introduce me to other funny people (getting in good with writers is always a great idea, as you're more apt to get written about that way). Also, for years, I'd been putting up films on this poorly-built website of my own devising and that got passed around a bit somehow and I was invited to screen things here and there, and it built from there. Chicago really has such a tight-knit community, so it's easy to get to know everyone pretty quickly.
"Dungeons and Dragons":
What's your filmmaking background? Where did you learn to do what you do?
Besides a little dabbling in high school, I have no real background in filmmaking. I started off wanting to be a writer of some kind and that's really what my focus was. When my long-time collaborator, Wakiza Gamez, moved back to Phoenix from college in California, I was still doing a lot of writing, but we'd both gotten really into recording music, so we spent most of our evenings and weekends just writing and recording hundreds upon hundreds of these funny, absurd little songs to amuse ourselves. From there, I bought a little consumer camera and found it to be pretty similar to producing audio (especially the editing), so I just kind of got really interested in it (again, just to make stuff for ourselves that we thought was funny). So, I guess, instead of film school, I just spent the last few years making mistakes and screwing up and learning how to do things better. Truth be told, I still don't really have any idea what I'm doing.
"Roboclones Industrial Film":
Did you always want to be in film? Did you have an early interest? Any particular inspirations?
I don't think I had any specific ambitions, but I grew up around the business, so it probably seeped in. My dad was a voice-over actor, a newscaster, a long-time radio DJ, and was in dozens of commercials and industrials and films. So spent a lot of hours as a kid being bored to tears in recording studios, on sound stages and at auditions. And as a summer job during high school (and then for a couple of years while I push college aside), I worked at a modeling and talent agency as an agent's assistant, so I was running around a lot between big shoots and production companies and castings. I was also an actor for years, doing a lot of community theater and professional work. But beyond just enjoying working within whatever perceived glamor there is in that business, I don't think I really had any ambitions to be behind the camera as a filmmaker.
Do the comedians usually come to you with the ideas, or how does the creative process work in a group like that?
I'm pretty quiet and insular in general, so I tend to work with a lot of the same comedians or groups, just so we can get right to work and there's not a lot of that introductory process. It works out though and tends to go both ways, as I'll shoot someone's idea for them and, in exchange, I can usually get them to show up and perform in something I've thought up. While we're shooting, that familiarity also helps because it's nice to not have all your actors thinking your an idiot when you're kind of mumbling your direction or that you're a jerk for giving them line reads. It's also nice because I usually work with a stable of people I can talk to and who understand the process, knowing about when things are working and when they aren't.
"Regrets: Hobbies," starring Chicago improv legend David Pasquesi:
How long does it take to shoot a short comedy film, and how long does it take to edit?
From my short attention span to the fact that I've always got a billion things to do, I like to work as quickly as I possibly can, so I can shoot and edit a film in a hurry (those Hillary Clinton films we just made, those took a total of six hours from the first shot to having them up on YouTube). I think that's both a blessing, leading to a big pile of stuff I've put my name to, and a curse, in that I'm sure some of my work doesn't always look as polished as it could if I'd paced myself.
What's an average week like for you, in terms of work and projects?
I work during the day at the design firm/ad agency, Coudal Partners, so I'm there during the normal days and hours throughout the week. For the past couple of years, I've also been employed as an editor for mediabistro's UnBeige, so I'm required to find and write three to five news stories every night about the design industry. After that's all wrapped up, I usually spend my nights first finishing up freelance film projects (I do a lot of motion graphics work). If there's time, and sadly there rarely is as much anymore, I try and work on any fun stuff I have on the side, like short films. Weekends are a grab bag, depending on what I have going on, but that's usually when I do most of my shooting and catching up on editing.
What do you like to do when you're not doing film stuff?
I don't get a ton of time to get away from my work, but when I do, it's just nice to sit and do nothing. Strangely, I'm not a big film buff, but I'll watch movies here and there. I'm a reader, so books are where it's at for me a lot of times. With the election, I've gotten addicted to political news and blogs, so I do some of that, getting mad at the world. And after a few seasons of false starts, something finally clicked last year and Claire and I got really into golf. So when the weather's warm, we're on a course every weekend and I'm at the driving range nearly every day after work. Sadly, I still stink at it.
What are your goals and hopes for the next 5 years or so, in terms of your work, and your life in general?
I usually say that I'd like to start directing more commercials and work on projects with larger budgets, but to be honest, I really don't have a clue about how you plan a trajectory for this sort of "artistic career" I've started building for myself. I'm getting married in October and we just bought a house, so I should probably figure it out some day. But it's such a nice spot to be in right now where I can just kind of do and make whatever I want and somehow squeak out a pretty decent living at it. And I guess longevity has helped make every year better and better for me, so I figure, as long as that keeps up, I'll be happy.
And, hot on the heels of information about the Chicago Improv Festival, information about Snubfest!
"Did you get snubbed by Chicago Improv Festival? There is another opportunity to be a part of the 2008 Chicago Improv Festival! Snubfest and the Chicago Improv Festival present Second Chances, a special performance featuring groups that were not accepted to CIF. The performance will take place at the Chemically Imbalanced Theater during the week of Snubfest (June 5 – 8, 2008) and the Chicago Improv Festival (June 2 – 8, 2008)."
Chicago Improv Festival Artistic Director Mark Sutton has announced the 2008 roster of non-mainstage headlining acts and ensembles. "This year's festival will feature improvisation from over 15 cities and 4 countries around the world. Performances featuring classic forms to those stretching the art of improv with music, film, history and media will be featured." The 11th annual Chicago Improv Festival will run from June 2-8, 2008.
CIF 2008 Acts and Ensembles:
4 Track - New York
Altermania - Tel Aviv, Israel
Aye Diego - Los Angeles/Boston
Babies Mit Bearden - Atlanta
Barinholtz and Belushi - Chicago
BASSPROV - Chicago
Big in Japan - Toronto, Canada
Caveat - Washington D.C.
Children of a Lesser God - Chicago
Code Duello: Hamilton and Burr - Boston
Coldtowne - Austin
Chemically Imbalanced Comedy's Cornwallis - Chicago
Dirty Water - Chicago
Drum Machine - Minneapolis
Election Show - Seattle
Crista Flanigan - Los Angeles
FrankenMatt - Los Angeles
Gillet and Sutton - Seattle/Chicago
The Great Adventure - Los Angeles
Holy Moly - New York
Hot Lawyer - Toronto, Canada
HUGE Improv - Minneapolis
Improsia - Seattle
ImproTop - Mexico City, Mexico
Improv Boston - Boston
Improv Cabaret - Orlando
The Irish Mutts - San Francisco/Los Angeles;
Jackie - Washington D.C.
Johnny Lunchpail - New York
JoKyR and JeSSter - Salt Lake City
Little American Bastard - Toronto, Ontario
Messing with a Friend - Chicago
The Mighty Stumps - Los Angeles
Mr. Pepper - Chicago
The Titanic Player's Old Tom Jar - Evanston, IL
pH Productions' pHamily the Musical - Chicago
Pimprov - Chicago
The Rare Bird Show - Philadelphia
Razowsky and Clifford - Los Angeles
IO Comedy Theater's The Reckoning - Chicago
Revolver - Chicago
SCRAM - Chicago/Minneapolis
Seattle Neutrino Society - Seattle
TJ and Dave - Chicago
Virgin Daiquiri - Chicago
Whirled News Tonight - Chicago
The Williamson Playboys - Toronto, Canada
Wing Night - Chicago
Head on down to the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts to see a mishmash of themed shows produced by Edge Comedy.
Friday April 4th (that's tonight!) - Ha-Ha-Hotties Comedy Showcase - hosted by Kat, with Tiffany Puterbaugh, Leah Eva, Beth Stelling, Katie Canavan, Christine Parisi, Michelle Thompson, Carrie Callahan, Cameron Esposito, Lauren Vino and Fay Canale.
Saturday April 5th - Handsome Bastards of Comedy - hosted by Adam Guerino, with Dean Carlson, Mike Lee, Bryan Bowden, Mark Vana, Drew Michael, Alex Orozco, Eric Lutz, and Joe Fernandez.
Next weekend: April 11th - Losing My Religion - comics discuss their religion, or lack thereof, with Adam Guerino, Drew Michael, Ron Harlow, Matt Jones, John Barry, Dave Odd, and Dan Kaufman.
April 12th - Alter Egos - comics perform as characters, with Mike Lee, Eliot Rahal, Phil Biedron, Jeb Cadwell, Charlie Gadd, and more.
The Bastion just got off the phone with a nice talent recruitment lady at NBC in New York, and she's asked us to help scare up some talent for two new Chicago-based NBC shows that need hosts.
The weekly shows will focus on real estate and Chicago in general (fun places to visit, interesting things to do), and they are looking for hosts and correspondents who can represent the face of Chicago but who don't necessarily need on-camera experience. They'd like clever, articulate, think-on-your feet types, and we know this describes a lot of you.
Send your reel, resume and headshot to NBC Universal Local Media, Room 2661e 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY NY 10112,
The headline pretty much says it all. From Steve Gadlin's blog (photoset here):
I’m still not entirely clear on the context of the match, but it’s part of an article for Time Out Chicago. The group Hey You Millionaires (at right) took their name from the first line uttered in the first episode of Kids in the Hall’s HBO series, so Time Out thought it’d be nice for them to square off.
T's bar (at 5025 N. Clark) is hosting a raffle and fund-raiser for Flashlite productions "Good Crazy/Bad Crazy" on Wednesday the 30th from 8:00 p.m. until closing time (2:00 a.m.) for its run at the Apollo Studio. Get in on the fun of date auctions, a kissing booth, raffles and prizes and drink specials. "Good Crazy/Bad Crazy" written and performed by 
Show up at iO at 8:30 on Wednesday, April 30 for pizza and snacks with 
Inside this week's Reader is a ballot where you can vote for your favorite things about Chicago. Comedy is one of the categories, which are broken down thusly:
The life of Chicago improv legend Del Close will be explored tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 29, at 6:00 p.m.) at 
The 
They've been on hiatus for awhile, but now they're coming back with a vengeance! The first 
...three of them! First, two open mics have sprung up. 
And, finally, you can also BYOB to the Playground Theater (3209 N. Halsted) on Thursday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 (doors open at 5:00) for Thursday Happy Hour, featuring solo comedy from Paul Thomas, Jeff Madden, Wendy Mateo, and Pat O'Brien. That's some strong talent there, boys and girls. Couple that with a Star Wars thermos of strong liquor and you're all set. 
The Economist has 
Happy Monday, Chicago. If you're like us, the sunshine makes you want to ditch work and head out on your bike to a park or the beach. In fact, we're going to do just that, so here's a brief post. And no whining: we were super-posting overachievers on Friday. 
And, hot on the heels of information about the Chicago Improv Festival, information about 
Head on down to the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts to see a mishmash of themed shows produced by 
The Bastion just got off the phone with a nice talent recruitment lady at NBC in New York, and she's asked us to help scare up some talent for two new Chicago-based NBC shows that need hosts.