Monday
Al Jackson
Al Jackson is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer, and TV/radio personality best known for his 30-minute “Comedy Central Presents: Al Jackson” special, and for his role as host of the BAFTA-nominated BBC series, “Officially Amazing”. In 2014, Al will also be seen on Dave Attell’s new Comedy Central stand-up series, on FXX’s “Legit”, on GSN’s Mind of a Man”, and on the NickMOM series, “Parental Discretion”.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Al began his comedy career while working as a middle school teacher in Miami. After two appearances on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and winning several comedy competitions, Al further built his resume with a series of credits including: TBS’ “Comedy Cuts”, Showtime’s “Louie Anderson Presents”, hosting FOX’s nationally syndicated travel show “Awesome Adventures”, and writing for TruTV’s “Upload with Shaquille O’Neal”. He has also appeared on Comedy Central’s “John Oliver NY Stand-Up Special”, “50 Super Epic TV Moments” and “50 Most Insane Celebrity Oops” (both on the E! Network), and serving as a coach on an Emmy-winning season of MTV’s “MADE”.
In addition to his work in television and radio, Al performs regularly at colleges, comedy clubs, and prestigious comedy festivals including the Montreal Comedy Festival, the HBO Comedy Festival, and the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival where, in 2011, he was voted one of the Best of the Fest. Visit his website here. Follow him on twitter here.
Tuesday
Frank Caliendo
You probably know Frank Caliendo from his appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Show with David Letterman, and his current segments on ESPN NFL Countdown…Or maybe you know him from his decade long run on FOX NFL SUNDAY;as Terry Bradshaw’s nemesis, but the live comedy stage is where Frank really shows you what he’s all about. His high energy act is a blend of observations, impressions, characters and anecdotal stories that start at a frenetic pace and never let up. Once described by the “Hollywood Reporter” as “a combination of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey” Frank is one comedian that should not be missed. Other places you might have seen Frank: “The Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, “Conan O’Brien”, “The view”, Comedy Central Presents, “Hot In Cleveland”, “The Comebacks”, “Mike and Mike”, “SportsCenter” and other ESPN shows. Follow Frank on facebook and twitter. Visit his website here.
Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Buress is a comedy writer and performer widely known for having an “irresistible” comedic presence that lands squarely between “cerebral and swagger,” (New York Times). Buress, the 2012 winner of Comedy Central’s award for Best Club Comic, recently signed a deal with the network that will see him headline his own comedy tour, debut a new one-hour special, and become a series regular on the upcoming show, Broad City. With talents that include video directing (“NaNa” by Chance the Rapper), commercial acting (Nike’s Kevin Durant spot), and lending his voice to the much-anticipated game, “Grand Theft Auto V,” Buress has also been lauded by Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, and Variety for his stage presence and wit. As a stand-up comedian, he’s been consistently featured throughout the late-night circuit, including the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson. Also a former staff writer for both SNL and 30 Rock, Buress is the co-host of Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show, has guest-starred on Fox’s The Mindy Project, and appears as a regular “expert” on FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. In addition, his debut comedy CD, My Name Is Hannibal (2010) and his Comedy Central one-hour special, Animal Furnace (2012), were both lavished with praise, each making multiple Top 10 lists.
Though perpetually touring, Buress considers New York City, where he hosts a weekly Sunday comedy night at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory, his place of residence. He lives with zero pets and an XBOX 360, and has a cable package with the Starz network but never watches it.
Hannibal currently has ecurring roles on Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and FX’s “Chozen,” as well as his co-hosting gig on Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show.” Hannibal will also be seen in the feature films “Neighbors” with Zach Efron and Seth Rogan, as well as “Flock of Dudes” alongside Eric Andre, Chris D’Elia, and, Hillary Duff.
Follow him on twitter. Visit his website here. (Photo credit: Constance Kostrevski)
Costaki Economopoulos
Costaki Economopoulos is a comedian, true, but he’s also a football fan. Those two factors alone make him the perfect candidate to give us a comedic look back at the NFL each week with his new feature that’s also been picked up by The Huffington Post and Bleacher Report. With his Greek heritage, it’s not surprising that he’s been described as a “joke philosopher,” and we’re sure he’s not the only one saying that. Costaki is also a talented joke writer who’s punchlines have been heard on “The Tonight Show,” Showtime, BET, and MTV. Follow Costaki on facebook and twitter. Visit his website here.
Wednesday
Shane Mauss
In 2013 Shane Mauss has had his fifth appearance on Conan, recorded his first one hour special which will be out in early 2014, performed his solo show for a full month in the world’s largest comedy festival The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, and recorded a TV spot in Australia at The Just For Laughs: Stand-Up Series at The Sydney Opera House.
Originally from La Crosse, WI, Shane Mauss moved to Boston in 2004 (at the supple, tender age of 23) to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a standup comedian. In less than three years, Shane caught his big break when he was awarded Best Standup Comic at HBO’s US Comedy Arts Festival in 2007.
Comedy Central Presents: Shane Mauss debuted in 2010 and was accompanied by his first CD Jokes To Make My Parents Proud with Comedy Central Records, which was named in the Top 10 Albums of 2010 by Punchline Magazine.
Shane’s other TV credits now include two appearances on Conan on TBS, three appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Showtime’s Comics Without Borders, two appearances on BBC’s The World Stands Up, and in what is easily his strangest television appearance to date: Playboy TV’s Night Calls.
Shane has been in several comedy festivals around the world including The Just For Laughs Festival Comedy Festival in Montreal, Sydney & Chicago, The Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, OR, The Comedy Central South Beach Comedy Festival, The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland, The Sydney Comedy Festival, and The Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival.
You may also know him as a regular on The Bob and Tom Show, Sirius Radio, Pandora, Spotify or podcasts such as WTF, You Made It Weird, Doug Loves Movies, Keith and The Girl or as co-host of The Double Date Podcast. Follow him on twitter. Visit his website here.
Here Come the Mummies
It’s been a long and dusty road since 1922 when, at a dig in the desert south of Tunis, Professor Nigel Quentin Fontenelle Dumblucke IV (1895-1973) unearthed the ruins of an ancient discotheque to find a dozen undead Egyptian mummies inexplicably throwing down what he dubbed, “Terrifying Funk From Beyond the Grave.”
From these hovering souls, who called themselves Here Come The Mummies, Professor Dumblucke learned of the powerful curse that doomed them to wander the earth, seeking the ultimate riff, the one that may allow their spirits to rest after eons of, as they put it, “banging out solid fly grooves, y’all.” But their story was murky at best…
What is clear is that these saucy specters resurfaced around the turn of the Millennium. Without so much as a hot bath, HCTM would open for P-Funk and Al Green, rock Super Bowl Village 2012, become regulars at The Bob and Tom Show and massive festivals like Summerfest, and make themselves the darlings of sell-out crowds over wide swaths of North America. Maybe that’s why the ladies (and some dudes) can’t stop losing their minds over these mayhem-inducing mavens of mirth.
2013 saw HCTM pool the remains of their dusty hearts, addled brains, and withered appendages to make Cryptic, their sixth studio album.
2014 is the year of the free EP (so far “A La Mode” and “Pull It Off,” with a the 3rd in the works), and Rejuvannhilation, a full length concert film out now and shown on PBS.
Some say they were cursed after deflowering a great Pharaoh’s daughter. Others claim they are reincarnated Grammy-Winning studio musicians. Regardless, their showmanship, deep-pocket grooves, and penchant for double entendre will melt your heart and your face alike. Get ready, here comes… Here Come The Mummies. Follow their twitter. Visit their website.
Tim Bedore
For longer than we can remember comedian Tim Bedore has been calling in or stopping by to deliver an editorial in which he talks about whatever happens to be on his mind. These musings can range from his relationship with his daughter, to hot topics in the news, and even updates on how the animal kingdom is waging war on mankind. From the Animal Conspiracy to his daughter Claire, Tim takes us inside his mind, and with the help of a few sound effects, puts together one of our favorite features. Follow Tim on Facebook. Visit his website here.
Thursday
David Crowe
Using a mixture of intellectual humor and physical buffoonery, David Crowe leaves no subject uncovered when he takes the stage. He enjoys sharing stories about putting bumper stickers on other people’s cars just as much as he loves dispensing his views on current events and politics. His comedy album, Crooked Finger, is available for purchase at Amazon.com. You can also check out his new line of greeting cards, Frank & Funny, which have earned him four LOUIE nominations (those are the awards given out for Greeting Cards). Follow David on facebook. Visit his website here.
David Koechner
Actor, writer and producer David Koechner, an alumnus of Chicago’s Second City Theater, got his first break as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” and since has become an instantly recognizable face appearing in more than 120 films and television shows. He is best known for his roles as Todd Packer on “The Office” and Champ Kind from “Anchorman” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” Koechner recently received rave reviews for his role in the dark, twisted and film festival award-winning thriller “Cheap Thrills.” In early 2015, he’ll appear in Paramount’s “Scouts vs. Zombies.”
Additional notable film credits include “Waiting,” “Out Cold,” “Talladega Nights,” “Get Smart,” “Extract,” “Thank You for Smoking” and “A Haunted House.” When not filming, Koechner performs live stand-up comedy across the country and creates original content videos for his YouTube channel, Full On Koechner. He currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif. with his wife and five children. Visit his website. Follow his twitter. (Photo by Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia Commons)
Friday
Bob Zany
It’s time for another exciting episode of the best joke filled, news feature hosted by a stand-up comedian named Bob Zany, The Zany Report . But the Report isn’t the only thing you’ll get when Bob calls in, we’ll also find out where he’s playing next, Bing Crosby will tell a joke, and some lucky fan will win prizes after fixing one Zany’s less than successful punch lines. So you’d better tune it because it’s going to be huge! In other news, Bob was recently featured in the Matt Damon film, The Informant! and is the star of the new documentary Close But No Cigar: Bob Zany which you can find here and pre-order the 2-DVD set here. Follow Bob on Facebook and twitter. Bob also has a new Podcast, “ The Bob Zany Show.
Jon Reep
Jon Reep is a nationally touring stand-up comedian and actor. His authentic point of view is a result of being born and raised in rural Hickory, NC. He lived there until he moved to Raleigh, NC in 1992 to attend North Carolina State University. Shortly thereafter he began performing stand-up comedy at Goodnights comedy club. He graduated from NCSU in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater, Mass Communication, and Public & Personal communication. Upon graduating, Jon was employed at UNC-TV where he became the assistant director of such TV shows as “North Carolina Now” & “Legislative Week in Review”, while at night simultaneously honing his skills as a stand-up comedian. In 1998 Jon left UNC-TV to pursue a full-time comedy career. He traveled all over America performing in comedy clubs and colleges in every state in the country. In 2000, Jon was invited to perform at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival, and shortly thereafter moved to Los Angeles, CA to further is career as a stand-up comedian and actor.
As an actor Jon has played the pot smoking farmer “Raymus” from the movie “Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay”, and the dim witted cop Gerald Bob from the ABC Sitcom “Rodney”. He played a goodwill worker in Disney Channels “Good Luck Charlie” and was the HEMI guy in Dodge Truck’s popular ad campaign. Most recently he can be seen as Jed Forney in “Eastbound and Down” and was the host of SPEED TV’s, “R U Faster than a Redneck.” He can next be seen in the Steven Quale film “Into the Storm” starring Richard Armitage and Matt Walsh.
As a comedian he was the Winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” season 5. He’s been on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”, the half-hour special “Comedy Central Presents: Jon Reep”, & his own special “Jon Reep: Metro Jethro”. He’s been on TBS’s “Pit Stop Comedy”, NBC’s “Late Friday” or CMT’s “Comedy Club” & “Comedy stage” among others. Follow him on twitter. Visit his website.
Flip Schultz
When Flip Schultz was eight years old, he won a summer camp talent show by performing stand up comedy. There was never a doubt in his mind that comedy would be his future.
For a while he performed wherever he could find an audience, whether at a family get together, bar-mitzvahs, seniors center; he didn’t care. He just wanted to make people laugh.
Finally, at 18, he braved a real comedy stage and won the open mic contest. For the next few years Flip performed at many comedy clubs (and bars) honing his craft, paying his dues and finding his comedic voice. And he still managed to earn his degree in theater.
After leaving South Florida as a local favorite, Flip now lives in Los Angeles and tours clubs & colleges all over the country, and has quickly become a sought after comic in Scandinavia.
As a writer, Flip has written many short plays, a musical, and was an on staff writer for Terry Fator & Friends Show in Las Vegas. Flip has also written a film called “Mr. Right Before” (© 2002) that was one of 250 scripts to make it into the second round of competition in HBO’s Project Greenlight.
After leaving as one of the hottest and most requested comics in South Florida, Flip moved cross country to LA. His high energy and very physical show has made him a favorite on the LA comedy scene and a regular performer at the world famous Hollywood Improv. Follow him on twitter. Visit his website.
Matt Braunger
Matt Braunger was raised in Portland, Oregon. An actor since childhood, Matt studied theatre in New York and improvisation in Chicago under such luminaries as Susan Messing and Del Close.
Matt’s television credits include:
- A recurring role on NBC’s UP ALL NIGHT
- A series regular role on MADtv
- Various roles on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, United States of Tara, Pushing Daisies, Carpoolers, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Acceptable TV, and Live At Gotham
- A regular guest on the Chelsea Lately roundtable
- In 2009, he was named to Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch and Comedy Central’s Hot 9 in ’09 list
- His debut album Soak Up The Night was released by Comedy Central Records and named to the iTunes REWIND Top 20 Albums of 2009
- In 2010 he recorded his half hour Comedy Central Presents special and in 2011 recorded an hour-long special entitled SHOVEL FIGHTER
- A regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles
- Performed at a variety of prestigious comedy festivals including the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and Chicago, The TBS Comedy Festival Las Vegas, South By Southwest.
- Won the 2008 “Best Of The Fest” at the inaugural Rooftop Comedy Festival in Aspen
- Co-founded the popular Bridgetown Comedy Festival that takes place annually in Portland.
Follow him on twitter. Visit his website.