Welcome back, dear Bastion readers! We are feeling well-rested and (still) very full from our long holiday weekend. We trust everyone's doing well? Here are some tidbits culled over the last few days from all over the Internets.

Blewt! holiday cards! Enlist the talents of all your favorite Blewt characters to create customized video messages for your loved ones. Or your not-so loved ones. Send an "up yours, Uncle Bob" holiday clip, if you feel like it. It's your money.

CIComedy has been describing in detail the recent move from their old, rented space at the Cornservatory, to their brand new permanent home, on their blog. Their first show in the new space is slated for December 1.

Blerds mouthpiece Mike Bridenstine gave his blog readers a run-down of their adventures on the Broadband Theatre Stage at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. He also saw Tim Minchin's show, which has us still seething with jealousy and rage.

Last week, HollywoodChicago.com snagged a cool interview with Conan O'Brien writer and Second City and iO alum Kevin Dorff. We usually turn to HollywoodChicago for the latest weird information on the viral Dark Knight campaign, so this was a fun thing to trip on.

Speaking of viral campaigns, you HAVE seen the newest Cloverfield trailer, correct? Hey, lookit those credits! Pretty f'n sweet.

Perusing our live music updates, we notice that the trend to pair comedy with melodic rock continues with Aimee Mann's 2nd Annual Christmas Show, at the Vic, featuring Paul F. Tompkins, Nellie McKay, and Morgan Murphy. Weird/neat.

This Wednesday will be the first of a new monthly event at the Lincoln Lodge, the Comedy Open Mic On Demand, which will pair local hopefuls with Comcast On Demand. Should be a raucous time!

--Kristy Mangel

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Several happy Bastion readers will be traipsing along the Red Line to the Lakeshore Theater tomorrow night (Saturday, Sept. 8) for Todd Barry's show, clutching the free tickets they won courtesy of our friends at Punchline Magazine, which recently ran this feature about Barry. Pitchfork has also been buzzing about Barry, who, we are reminded, "played Greasy in Pootie Tang, for chrissakes." Pootie Tang, y'all. He also did a guest column at the Believer, from which, just for fun, we're going to quote something totally out of context: "I’m not a pothead but I’d probably make a bong out of any animal, any vegetable, but not the mineral wollastonite."

Yet another example of Barry's versatility -- his guest spot on "Sesame Street":

Speaking of the Lakeshore, Team Submarine are the new hosts of the Lakeshore Theater's midnight Saturday show, Col. Ritter’s Spectacular Hour of Wonderment, "your weekly chance to marvel at the spectacular, constantly shifting lineup of musicians, jugglers, dancers, comedians, magicians!" You may remember the Bastion talking to Team Sub after they popped into the Montreal Comedy Festival not long ago.

Also, Greg Fitzsimmons will be headlining at the Edge Comedy Club (Chicago Center for the Performing Arts - 777 N. Green St.) at 10:30 PM tonight and tomorrow night (Friday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 8). Fitzsimmons has won 4 Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," and is a regular performer on "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show," and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."

The Fitzsimmons shows will follow the 8:15 Edge Comedy Club shows hosted by Dave Odd, with Dustin White and stuntman/comic Mark "the Knife" Faje.

Check out this clip of Fitzsimmons on the Letterman show:

- Elizabeth McQuern

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