For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Stand-up superstar Dave Attell headlines tonight through Wednesday at Carolines

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 7:30 pm ($10) and 9:30 pm [FREE]: UCBT’s signature improv comedy extravaganza, which typically includes stars in the improv world, and sometimes even TV & movie stars such as Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz: ASSSCAT 3000

[TOP PICK] [$] 8:00 pm ($42 & 2-item min.): A stand-up comedy superstar headlining through Wednesday (with Amy Schumer) at Carolines: Dave Attell

[FREE] 10:00 pm: Jessimae Peluso (The Tyra Banks Show, TruTV), Yamaneika (BET), and Adam Lehman (Here! TV’s Hot Gay Comics) performing stand-up at a free weekly gay-themed show at Therapy hosted by Brad Loekle: Electro Shock Therapy Comedy Hour

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

She didn’t win any tournaments when she was a on the professional tennis tour, but I’m sure Anna Kournikova won over a few hearts when she recently visited some of the troops stationed at the North Kabul International Airport compound in Afghanistan. The USO-sponsored trip brought Kournikova, comedian Dave Attell, singer Billy Ray Cyrus (sans Miley which I’m sure was the most disappointing to the soldiers) and of course, the big star, tennis coach Nick Bollettieri (who? yeah, I don’t know either.)’

I think it’s safe to say that, as funny as he is, Dave Attell was NOT the most looked-forward to celebrity for the soldiers. Kournikova was extremely gracious on her 3rd USO trip, signing autographs and taking loads of pictures with the assembled troops ”I am extremely proud and privileged to be here,” she told them. “Thank you so much to you and your family for all you do.”

[International Security Assistance Force HQ Public Affairs]

Nick is on tour this week with the USO in Afghanistan and Iraq visiting the troops during the holiday season. Nick is joined by former student and tennis star Anna Kournikova, comedian Dave Attell and singer/actor Billy Ray Cyrus. The tour kicked off yesterday when they visited the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command at North Kabul International Airport military compound in Afghanistan.

After the chairman spoke, he introduced each of his guests, who then addressed the waiting crowd. Nick thanked the troops for their service, and the USO and Admiral Mullen for sponsoring the tour.

“It is a pleasant, unexpected surprise,” agreed Air Force Lt. Col. Bob Dreyfus, Electronic Warfare Coordination Cell. “It reemphasizes just how important this [mission] is to us … a unified effort to help Afghanistan.”

“They are very approachable and nice; it’s rare to have the opportunity to be in an intimate, personal, and one-on-one situation with stars,” said Army Maj. Larry Bonds Jr. of Memphis, Tenn. “I want to personally thank them for what they are doing for the troops.”

Here is a video from yesterday and to see photos, click here.

Imagine a world where comedians worked clean, and where awkward pauses and hecklers were removed.

There would be no George Carlin’s “seven words,” Red Foxx’s smutty oeuvre would be severely truncated, and Bob Saget would have to find other ways to slowly shed his wholesome Danny Tanner image.

The world would be poorer, certainly, but we would still have all six seasons of Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist, the innovative Squigglevision cartoon which ran on Comedy Central from 1995-1999.

While the Simpsons were reaching the zenith of animated comedy, Dr. Katz was quietly diagnosing the funniest men and women of a generation.

The premise of the show was simple: comedian Jonathan Katz played a professional therapist, and each episode featured two or three comedic “patients.”  To provide some semblance of plot, enter the regulars: Katz’s unemployed 25-year-old son Ben (pictured right, H. Jon Benjamin) and snarky receptionist Laura (Laura Silverman). Katz’s bar buddies would intersperse some nuggets of wisdom.

Why am I writing about Dr. Katz now? Because my iPod classic is full of dozens of episodes, forever at my disposal. Whenever I’m stuck in line somewhere, I never frown or yawn. Instead, I am apt to start giggling loudly (much to the consternation of my fellow line-mates). And because of the show’s non-linear elements, I can cycle through each of the six seasons without ever growing tired of the good doctor.

Guests on the show are a veritable who’s who of today’s comedy stars. There are late night talk show hosts (Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien), sitcom stars (Ray Romano, Dave Attell, David Cross), zany HBO/Comedy Central stars (Dave Chappelle and Sarah Silverman), panelists from The View (Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, but no Babs). Katz had them all. Even Ben Stiller, Wynona Ryder, Carrie Fisher, and David Duchovny showed up at one point or other.

But the real stars of the show are the lesser known but truly great standup comedians: Dom Irrera, Paul F. Tomkins, Brian Regan, Louis C.K., and Kevin Meaney, to name but a few.

A quick search of YouTube reveals a small sample of the show’s hilarious moments.

The always funny Patton Oswalt skewers Star Wars:

Al Lubel does a spot-on Jimmy Stewart:

Mitch Hedberg on bananas (and whatever else):

Boats everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

Summer reading – uncomplicated, light fare, books you can doze off in the middle of and pick up again on the wrong page and nobody cares. Perfect time for most books about musicians and actors and comics, because with few exceptions you can blow through them in a sitting. Depends on how interesting the subject is. Also depends on how talented the ghostwriter or co-writer is. Artie Lange seemed to fit the bill, especially since the #1 bestseller from last Fall was now available in paperback. Too Fat To Fish is a decent read, breezy enough to enjoy and written conversationally so even his most challenged zealot can grasp the gist of it.

I’m not a regular Howard Stern listener, but I’m familiar with a lot of Artie’s  other work and he can be a funny guy. He’s got the John Belushi schlub thing down pat when he wants to, and anyone who can make a film like Beer League is okay by me. The proof is out there - MAD TV, Dirty Work, It’s The Whisky Talkin’, even bit parts on shows like Rescue Me. Artie Lange has charisma, although often it’s train wreck charisma – but either way he’s not slipping off your radar once he’s on.

Artie’s book skips through events in his life, starting in his childhood and his determination to make it as a ballplayer or a comic. A tragic accident paralyzed his Dad, whom Artie worshipped, and he ties a lot of his recklessness and problems to the aftermath of his father’s death, although ultimately the same event made him rededicate himself to making a mark in the entertainment world. He succeeded quickly as one of the charter cast members of MAD TV but was in over his head from the start, although castmates Orlando Jones and David Herman (later the hilarious Michael Bolton in Office Space) bailed him out repeatedly, first saving his job and later his life.

Those looking for stories of excess and debauchery will fins plenty here, from the “pig story” and rampant dug and alcohol binges to the networks throwing development money around like Johnny Appleseed with little or no hope of valuable return. Lange is pretty honest about how many times his screw ups affected dozens of people, and the frequency of public apologies to those he is no longer in touch with are both heartfelt and sad. As each chapter unfolds you’re certain that this, finally, is the redemption coming along, but all it does is blow up yet another bridge. Few have gone through Lange’s orbit unscathed, and Artie doesn’t deflect the blame.

Mostly Artie comes off like a guy who got too much too soon, blew it, miraculously got it back. He was emotional recalling the honor of performing for the troops. His family is still on a pedastel, including his late father whom he still reveres. He sounds truly grateful to those still willing to give him yet another chance, and I imagine there are days when he gets up in the morning and wants to pull a Dave Chappelle for his own sanity. Maybe catch a ballgame and share a private thought with his Dad. Maybe hang out with some of the legends he truly reveres – Don Rickles, Shelley Berman – and just soak it up a little. Maybe grow up a little.

But then he hits the studio where magic happens, where the most dynamic voice in the last quarter century of radio (no, idiot, it’s not you) welcomes him like family. Where the phones light up with armies of zealots. Zealots who will fill theatres and arenas and generate more money than ninety percent of his comedian peers will generate. Where he is surrounded by legions of fans who worship the very behavior that ran him into the tree the last time around. (Just be outrageous, Artie – drink, eat, curse, belch…be that derelict we love so much! Dance, monkey…dance!)

Fishing? Fuck fishing. Who needs fishing?

Hang in there, Artie. I hope those you ask for forgiveness do so. I hope those who you ask to come back to your life do so. And I hope the second time around you pay attention to the Norm MacDonalds and Howard Sterns and Dave Attells and learn how to walk that line between caricature and character. You’re still a pup, Artie – I hope we haven’t seen your best yet. I hope you don’t take the easy road down and out.

P.S. - Artie…park that car, ok? You can afford a driver by now.

Artie Lange’s world.

Artie wiki.

Artie’s MySpace site

MAD TV, R.I.P.

While driving around Jersey, Amy played DJ with my iPod.  As we neared her house on one of our adventures, she stopped at “Endless Love” and said, “Why do you have this?”

“You know in Happy Gilmore when they play it?”

“Yeah,” she said, “they’re in the ice rink.”

“Yeah, and the zamboni guy sings along?  Freshman year, Hilary and I would turn off the lights and say, ‘What?  Friends can listen to “Endless Love” in the dark’ and then we’d dance to it.”

As with John Hughes movies (and Kevin Smith), my friends and I in high school spent a great deal of time with Adam Sandler movies, particularly Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy.  (Big Daddy offering me my first celebrity crush; hello, Joey Lauren Adams.)  Alison in particular was in love with Sandler, even had an 8×10 of a scene from Billy Madison, over which she wrote, “I love you Alison” in Sharpie.  And, every few months, I get a text from my sister, usually something along the lines of “I didn’t break it, I was testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods because it’s made of wood, and I thought it should be with its family.”  Then we go back and forth.

It’s not been hidden in the past several years that Judd Apatow and his crew have been taking the place that Adam Sandler and his ilk once had.  While passing the torch is usually metaphorical, something that takes place in media commentary, Funny People did it quite literally.

Funny people features Sandler as a Sandler-like comedian, George, who is a little washed up, and dying.  He takes on Seth Rogen’s Ira, a budding comedian who has fallen behind in the careers of his two best friends.  Many critics couldn’t get into Sandler’s take on the dramatic, but what I think they failed to realize was that he wasn’t playing dramatic dramatic, but that of a funny person falling on hard times, the kind whose humor will still be present, albeit rougher when looking at the face of death.

For me, the details made the film.  Jokes about Sandler’s career (especially the Chanukah songs), the posters of John Belushi and Fast Times at Ridgemont High in Ira and co.’s apartment, appearances from Norm Macdonald and Dave Attell.  All of the little things that brought together a brief history of contemporary comedy.  Add to that the home videos Apatow and Sandler made when they were young in their careers and you get a real sense of the way we move and grow in the lives we choose for ourselves.

Every field has its way of passing information to the next generation.  In the business world, they groom you for management; you go to happy hour, you play golf, whatever it is you do to get noticed.  What interests me is how that plays in the arts, especially one like comedy where, unlike, say, in an MFA program, you don’t get handed a group of mentors for two or three years.  In Funny People, it’s chance that brings Ira and George together, a relationship that would not have probably happened had George not been ill.  At first, he’s not even looking to help Ira; Ira is supposed to help George – help him write jokes, help him around the house, settle his affairs.  It’s not until faced with life, and faced with the prospect of losing everything all over again, does George come around for Ira.

As generations change, be it for comedians or actors or writers or musicians (or even business people), do you ever look at your peers and wonder which of them might become part of the next big thing?

Tonight at the Comic Strip Live!, the star of Comedy Central’s Insomniac, Dave Attell!

Dave will perform on our 8:00pm show this evening. He will be joined by Sherrod Small, Marina Franklin, James Smith and recent “Late Show with David Letterman” performer, Ted Alexandro.

Come by The Comic Strip Live tonight to see the best show in town!

Rated R : 2 hours 26 minutes : Universal/Columbia Pictures

There’s really nothing left for Judd Apatow to prove to us as far as the world of comedy is concerned. He owns it. Most all of us know by now that he has produced some of the elite films of the genre over the last five years, including Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Superbad, Walk Hard, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Pineapple Express. As a producer he has brought together a group of actors and crew who are now labeled “The Apatow Family”. They are the assembled, rotating team of familiar faces that we have come to count on in our times of need for consistent laughter. It took him a while to break into the mainstream, but Apatow has cemented himself to become the busiest comedy producer in the world, delivering several projects a year. What I find most intriguing about the mastermind, though, is the writer/director side of him. In 2005 he had to prove to Universal that he could direct just as well as he writes and produces, so he started out by teaming with the popular Steve Carrell for the laugh fest, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which became such an immediate hit that he quickly found the freedom to take on whatever kind of film he wanted to next. It would be with his second feature at the helm, Knocked Up, that we would come to find the major difference between Apatow-produced films and Apatow-produced/written/directed films: the attention to serious undertones and endearing, realistic situations life puts us in….all the while mixing in a boatload of his trademark comedy, of course. He had showed major improvement with his direction in just his second full-length, and ever since the June 2007 released of Knocked Up, I considered that the finest achievement of his career. That was until he decided to continue the trend of one-upping himself with the next directing effort, this time with the seriously affecting Funny People.

It’s been an extremely long wait for Apatow to finally work with old college roommate Adam Sandler on such a major project like this. They did a bit of collaborating in the past, like in the excellent but sadly cut-short television series, Undeclared, where Sandler played himself in one of the shows most memorable episodes. Apatow also co-wrote the script for the uneven You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, but the old friends hadn’t done anything with this much weight to it yet. I’m glad they saved Funny People for the first time they were to do something substantial together, because it gives Sandler his most challenging role since Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed him in 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love. Like the actor did in Anderson’s film, Sandler brings out a side of him we rarely get to see, playing George Simmons, one of the world’s most popular comedic actors who in his middle-aged days finds out that he has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia and has limited time left on earth. George lives in a California mansion that is occupied only by himself and the hired help, for he has driven all of the family and friends out of his life over the years. When he learns of his illness, Simmons notifies no one, he just heads back to the stand-up clubs that he started out in when he was young, surprising the audience-hungry promoters with his presence and the request to perform. It is at The Improv that he will first come into contact with Ira Wright, a dime-a-dozen aspiring comic who writes with promise but has a bumbling stage presence. Wright saves his set from failing by taking a stab as Simmons’ complete failure to generate laughs just a few minutes before, and with the audience opening up he goes on to have what must be the comfortable set he’s ever done. Simmons take a liking to Wright’s sense of humor and hires him to write jokes for him as he plots a stand-up tour, which he assumes will be his last. He is a complicated individual, one who we come to find has buried emotions deep inside for many years, and the relationship that unfolds between he and Ira, no matter how much he would consider it to be of the “hired help” kind, will prove to be just the kind of real friendship that he has always needed and, really, desired.

Of course there is far more to be told in this truly epic comedy, where Apatow once again puts on display the necessity of a strong supporting cast of characters who all get their dose of depth in the sharply written screenplay. The ensemble of actors is as stacked as any Apatow production to date, including Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Bana, Aubrey Plaza,and a long list of other familiar faces showing up for minor roles. The most impressive thing (among countless impressive things) about Funny People, is the daring, unconventional approach that Apatow took with the structure of the screenplay. He knew that he could take any sort of risks he wanted to this time around, because having Adam Sandler on board is going to guarantee that the box-office numbers will be high at the very least. Knowing this, he takes his characters on an emotional journey that is unpredictable and always veering off the standard “three act” path of a normal screen story. By doing this, Apatow challenges his three main actors, and especially Sandler, to tag along with him as he attempts to mature in his storytelling. He also gets the two most human performances of both Rogen and Mann’s careers to date. Funny People was the most anticipated film in over a year for me personally. It had a lot to live up to, what with me talking about wanting to see it and all of its potential greatness for nearly an entire year after hearing of the talented involved and the premise. What Apatow has accomplished with this film is incredible and really too brilliant to put into words. I saw it twice on its opening day last Friday, and it only got better with the second viewing. Like all of the great comedies he is involved in, I suspect this will continue to endear with each passing watch, but because it was made with such a sense of personal involvement and an obvious long history of understanding the people working alongside him, it will become not only a favorite, but an essential piece of work out of everything I will see. This is where Apatow goes from making one of the funniest films of the year, to one of the best. It’s a masterpiece.

Cast
Adam Sandler
Seth Rogen
Leslie Mann
Eric Bana
Jonah Hill
Jason Schwartzman
Aubrey Plaza
Maude Apatow
Iris Apatow

Written & Directed by
Judd Apatow

Happy August!

A small Saturday Surprise for you dedicated Eighty Second & 2nd readers! We found a few select snapshots of our good friend Dave Attell from his set this last Thursday night that we thought you might find to be of interest. Are we right, comedy fans?

Enjoy and have a great Saturday!

About two hours into Funny People, you start to see how the rest of the movie is going to go, and you start longing for the genitalia jokes and zingers that have peppered the previous 120 minutes. Truth be told, Funny People does have some of the biggest laughs of the year, and it’s Apatow’s most ambitious film to date. However, as a film, it doesn’t deserve extra-merit solely due to ambition, because the final half-hour is long, repetitive, and flimsy. It is as if all of these characters didn’t want to make the changes necessary in these types of films, so at the end they haven’t really learned anything other than their inability to learn. Some critics have called this a mature film… but if the audience leaves only admiring the genitalia jokes, how successful were the more mature elements?

George Simmons is the biggest star of comedy in America. He is played by Adam Sandler, in a role that is full of old Adam Sandler footage, reminding us constantly that this is the role Sandler has been living as all his life. Sandler knows this, but is unafraid to make Simmons a self-centered “star,” a real jerk at times and a guy who can make you feel incredible just by giving you the time of day at other times. There are lots of shots of Simmons wallowing in self-pity, which will be truly obnoxious if you find his character detestable. I found Sandler’s performance as a play on the celebrity who acts like a jerk because it’s his defense mechanism to prevent people from getting too close to him. We see it in his behavior with women, where he sleeps with them not because he likes it, but because it’s what they expect. He tells his friends they have giant penises, not because he’s seen them, but because he wants them to feel good. He’s trying to make people happy habitually, not because he is extra-nice, but because it’s the only thing he is good at.

After finding out that he is going to die soon from a blood disease, he goes to the Improv to do some stand-up comedy on a whim. He gets too dark, and the comedian after him makes fun of his perceivable depression. That comedian is Ira, played by Seth Rogen in the most wide-eyed performance he’s ever given. It’s a style that suits him– he is constantly deriding himself, full of insecurities, and his awkward attempts to ingratiate himself to others around him provide many of the biggest laughs in the film. The chemistry he shares with Sandler is easy and natural, with Rogen having no problem deferring the “star role” to Sandler. Strangely enough, this makes Rogen’s performance all the more noteworthy; it’s easily his best performance since Knocked Up, and maybe his best ever.

Ira becomes George’s assistant, writing jokes for his return to stand-up. Rogen doesn’t play his character with a clean conscience either– at one point, he steals jokes he wrote for Simmons, and he denies his friend Leo (Jonah Hill) a chance to write for Simmons as well. He is ambitious, trying to crawl his way towards success. However, unlike Simmons, Ira is far more prone to fall on the more “morally sound” side of an argument, especially about women– he doesn’t like sleeping with someone who sleeps with someone else. He gets upset when his sitcom-star roommate Mark (Jason Schwartzman) sleeps with a female comic, Daisy (Aubrey Plaza), who Ira has longed to date.

Up to this point, the movie is great. The interactions are all natural, and we get the sense that George and Ira are learning from one another. However, Apatow hits some serious speedbumps when it comes to Simmons’ relationship with Laura (Leslie Mann). He was going to marry Laura, but when at the beginning of his fame and fortune, he cheated on her more times than he could remember. Now, Laura has been married for 12 years, and Simmons is trying to get back in her life. The problem is… Apatow doesn’t make Simmons work for it. He tells her he is sick, and she immediately says her current husband is cheating on her and she has always loved him. The rest of the film then becomes the inevitable consummation of this longstanding love, and how the love triangle of Simmons, Laura, and her husband Clark (Eric Bana) resolves itself.

Since we don’t understand why Laura immediately goes back to Simmons, the plot necessitates that Clark be an egocentric jerk who is way too into sports, drinks too much, and rambles about having sex with female celebrities in front of his wife. After all, if she’s held a candle for one egocentric jerk, the one she’s married to has to be really over the edge. When Laura tells George she’s leaving Clark for him, we expect George to be happy, since in movies like this, people learn lessons. Yet predictably, George is not good at the family life– not even as good as Ira, who likes the family that currently exists. This section of the film lasts far too long, and makes us long for the incredibly funny comedy scenes. When the film ends, George’s “change” doesn’t have the emotional impact it should, because the detour taken in the narrative showed very little change, and even sets up the Hollywood standard Heroes-Fight-And-Inevitably-Reconcile-For-Heartwarming-Ending.

This is not to say I wouldn’t recommend the film. It’s very very funny. The stand-up comedy scenes have authenticity to them, especially when the comedians are bombing. Sandler carries much of the film, but I found myself siding with Rogen and laughing hardest at his one-liners (his response to Clark and his children’s screaming in Mandarin Chinese at the dinner table made me laugh harder than any one-liner this year). Jonah Hill does a great job playing Jonah Hill, per usual, and the housemate chemistry Rogen, Hill, and Schwartzman share is as good as the male bonds in Apatow’s previous two films. Aubrey Plaza is exceedingly funny as the female stand-up, and I could have watched an entire film of the courtship between Ira and Daisy. James Taylor, Eminem and Ray Romano all have amusing cameos, and Apatow’s use of “famous friends” again gives the audience the feeling that they’re peeking in on a real world rather than being presented a cinematic one.

Funny People is longer than Apatow’s first two, and falls apart more than the other two since his aim is higher– both the previous films had terrific heart without branching into suburban drama. Suburban drama might work for Sam Mendes and Todd Field, but with this cast of actors, the audience (rightfully so) expects more laughs per minute than Funny People really delivers. Oddly enough, Apatow could have given us a great comedy had he stuck to the comedy scene and let George learn just from Ira, without the Laura/Clark subplot getting in the way. While the shot Apatow is taking is admirable, aiming high isn’t his strong suit– he achieves far more success aiming for the crotch.

Master of Ceremonies Mark Vierra gets the show off to an electric start.

Dustin Ybarra demonstrating his patented toilet-paper retrieval technique.

Macio delights the capacity Thursday night crowd.

Dave Attell provided a great surprise for the sold-out house.

J.J. Ramirez kept his title as “the Latin Legend” and left many fans doubled over in laughter.

Headliner Sherrod Small brought the night to an end in grand fashion with his energetic style of stand-up comedy.

Dustin Ybarra entertains a standing-room-only crowd at last night’s monthly “Comedy Caliente” show.

As any of the last night’s nearly 240 guests might tell you, the Comic Strip Live’s monthly “Comedy Caliente” show was far and away, the hottest ticket in town. With reservations sold out hours in advance, customers arrived early to stand on line in hopes to get  into the comedy showcase. As the night wore on, the Strip maintained its customers first reputation and did not find itself having to turn away anyone who came out looking for big laughs and a great time.

“You guys have the best show in town tonight,” remarked featured performer Dave Attell, moments before stepping on-stage.

Hosted by Mark Vierra, the show featured an eclectic mix of talent including Sherrod Small, Erik Rivera, Marina Franklin, Dustin Ybarra, the aforementioned Attell and Macio. Upon walking out of the club, one lady gave “The Latin Legend” J.J. Ramirez the award for generating her “biggest laugh of the night” and another lady mentioned that the show was “well worth the cost of admission.”

Featured New York City’s best Latino comedians and more, “Comedy Caliente” takes place the last Thursday of every month at the Comic Strip Live. This show does have a high tendency to sell out and for your parties sake, reservations are suggested in advance. For more information on August’s Caliente show, or line-ups for any of our coming shows, check out our schedule.

Tonight the Comic Strip Live!, has the pleasure of welcoming to its stage, Dave Attell!

You’ve know him as the star of Comedy Central’s “Insomniac with Dave Attell”, Comedy Central’s “The Gong Show”, appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman”, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, “The Howard Stern Show,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”, Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” and his own one-hour HBO special “Captain Miserable” and tonight, he will be gracing our very stage.

Dave Attell is one of the most respected and influential stand-up comedians working today. His honest style and ability to personally connect to any crowd makes him a a talent that is in-demand from coast-to-coast.

Attell will be part of tonight’s monthly “Comedy Caliente” show. Seating begins at 8:00pm, showtime at 8:30.

Mark Vierra!

Marina Franklin!

Dustin Ybarra!

Macio!

Erik Rivera!

Sherrod Small!

J.J. Ramirez!

a special guest…

DAVE ATTELL!!!

Seating starts at 8pm! Showtime at 8:30!

Visit www.comicstriplive.com for more info!

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

Dave Attell heads an all-star group of hilarious stand-ups tonight at ComedyJuice

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[FREE] six free hours of improvisation in The PIT’s Super Free Wednesday (6:00 pm-midnight),

[TOP PICK] brilliantly funny character actress Kate McKinnon (co-star of Logo’s Big Gay Sketch Show) debuting her exciting new one-woman show about the entertainment biz (Five women, One f*cked up industry), plus a comedic play with music, dancing, and fisting from Mary Elizabeth Ellis & Artemis Pebdani, in the double-bill Kate McKinnon: Best Actress and Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane’s Fist? (8:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] [$] John Oliver (stand-up comedy genius and star correspondent of The Daily Show), Wyatt Cenac (correspondent for The Daily Show, cast member of upcoming HBO Kanye West show), Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; warm-up comic for The Daily Show; Comedy Central,VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, co-host of hit show Punch Up Your Life), and JR Havlan (five-time Emmy Award-winning staff writer of The Daily Show) performing stand-up with Co-Executive Producer of The Daily Show Rory Albanese at The Daily Show and Friends (8:00 pm),

[FREE] sharp NYC comics Pat O’Shea, Lisa Kaplan, Joe Pontillo, Joel Stice, Mangina, and Lisa Haim at a free weekly show hosted by Sharon “Mama” Spell: Shrink (8:00 pm),

[FREE] Hannibal Burress (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson, concert film The Awkward Kings of Comedy), Jesse Popp (Comedy Central, Beauty Bar Comedy), Greg Barris (Heart of Darkness, MTV’s All That Rocks), and Bob Powers (author of new humor book The Terrible, Horrible, Temp-to-Perm Debacle) at a free weekly Brooklyn extravaganza hosted tonight by Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri: Big Terrific (8:30 pm),

[TOP PICK] a show featuring rejected material and the associated tales of woe from top writers and comedic performers—who tonight include Margot Leitman, Will Leitch, Eliot Glazer, and Andy Ross—at Jon Friedman’s The Rejection Show (9:30 pm),

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] a not-to-be-missed monthly event, this powerhouse showcase for star stand-ups at the elegant Comix Comedy Club tonight features Dave Attell (comedy superstar; Comedy Central’s Insomniac with Dave Attell, Comedy Central Presents; multiple appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Howard Stern, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), Pete Holmes (one of the very best stand-ups in the country; warm-up comic for The Daily Show; Comedy Central, VH1’s Best Week Ever, The New Yorker, co-host of hit show Punch Up Your Life), Christian Finnegan (three Comedy Central specials, commentator on MNBC’s Countdown with Keith Oberman and VH1’s Best Week Ever; Chappelle’s Show, The Today Show), Godfrey (NBC’s 30 Rock, Comedy Central Presents, VH1; films Zoolander, Original Gangsters, Soul Plane; 7 Up Yours ads), Jay Larson (Comedy Central, Craig Ferguson), and The Greg Wilson (Comics Unleashed): Dave Attell, Pete Holmes, Christian Finnegan, Godfrey, and More at ComedyJuice (10:00 pm),

[TOP PICK] [FREE] and a free, laid-back, and occasionally magical variety show where virtually anything can happen on a School Night (11:00).

For full details, please visit HyReviews.com.

This Friday, former stand-up comedian, now film producer Judd Apatow will release the third film that he has both written and directed, FUNNY PEOPLE.  The comedy follows two stand-up comedians, one in the waning days of a once-vibrant career, and another whose star is just beginning to shine. Starring an eclectic cast featuring the talents of Seth Rogan, Eric Bana, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzman, the RZA and Jonah Hill, FUNNY PEOPLE’s starring role belongs to a long-time friend of the Comic Strip Live, Mr. Adam Sandler.

A Brooklyn native, Sandler started at the Comic Strip in the late 80’s performing alongside the likes of Chris Rock, Kevin Nealon and other future industry stars as part of the clubs now legendary “Late Night” roster, where hungry young comics sign up early in the evening in the hope of getting on stage at the end of the night. Sandler has since gone on to become one of the biggest drawing comedic talents and most in-demand actors in the world. But it all started at the Strip.

The film also features many more hilarious Comic Strip alumni including Dave Attell, Sarah Silverman, Wayne Federman, Ray Romano, Paul Reiser, Orny Adams, Al Lubel, George Wallace, Mark Schiff, Carol Leifer, and Aziz Ansari, who’s character “Raaaaaaaandy” is becoming a fast-rising internet sensation.

This is not the Comic Strip’s first association with a major motion picture centered around the topic of stand-up comedy. In 1988, Tom Hanks would frequently stop by the club to practice his stand-up chops as he worked out material for the hit film PUNCHLINE, in which he played a young struggling stand-up comedian.

With so many stars born at the club, you can’t afford to miss a single night at the Comic Strip Live. Visit our website to make a reservation.

FUNNY PEOPLE opens this Friday, July 31st. Knock ‘em dead, Adam!