w w w . b o b a n d t o m . c o m
July 11 - 15 2005
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 The
Biggest
Name in Comedy
Comedian Costaki Economopoulos'
humor has been described as smart, pointed, hip, sharp, insightful, socially
relevant, and gut-laugh funny and he’s been described as a “casually
brilliant joke philosopher.” Just look at his business card, it's
all right there. Aside from standup comedy, Costaki is still looking
for a full time staff writing position on a sitcom, so if anybody “knows
a guy,” make sure to give him a call (he's in the book). But until
that day comes, the biggest name in comedy is keeping busy with other
projects, including the release of his new CD, C'mon
It's Jokes.
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Turning Ignorance
into a Career
When it comes to ADD and medication,
Tom Cruise and comedian Ryan
Dalton are on the same page. You don’t
need to take pills, just give patient a stage, a
mic and an audience, and they’ll be just fine.
It seems to have worked for Dalton. A native of Cleveland,
OH, Dalton discovered after graduating from college
that the entertainment industry might be right for
him because it was one of the few places where a
basic lack of knowledge on any subject is not only
necessary, but also embraced. He uses standup comedy
as a way to poke fun at controversy and the “everyday
personal injustices” that are dealt with by
the common man. He also tries to defend the common
woman whenever possible.
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 Got
Books, Got Tapes, You're Healed
With self-help gurus like Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, and Tony Robbins saturating
America with their books and tapes, you’d think the population would
be getting mentally healthier. According to author Steve
Salerno, the opposite is actually true. In his
book SHAM:
How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless,
he says that the empowerment movement is actually increasing the victimhood
of its followers. Not only does he claim the methods don’t work,
he also points out the flaws in the preachers like how Dr. Phil shames
rather than helps his guests, and Dr. Laura, who preaches family values,
didn’t even know her mother died till weeks later. Salerno is the
author of multiple best selling books and continues to work as a freelance
feature writer, essayist, and investigative reporter for a number of magazines
and newspapers. He’s also been a guest professor of journalism and
non-fiction writing at three universities.
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Have RV, Will Travel
Tom
Simmons is somewhat of an enigma, having been born in
New York City and raised in the deep south. With this polar
opposite foundation, Tom was destined to either become a
standup comedian or spend a lifetime in psychotherapy. To
add another wrinkle to his already delicate mental state,
Simmons’ made the decision early in his career to travel
from gig to gig in a motor home, with his wife. This wide
range of life experiences, many of which we wouldn't want
to go through, has left Simmons with enough material to last
a lifetime. It's also helped him develop an act that even
those of us who live in houses can enjoy. Just don't expect
him to do a lot of marriage material because his better half
will be out in the parking lot listening to him on the radio. |
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 His
Shark is
Worse Than His Bite
Adam
Savage, the non-beret wearing co-host of MythBusters, holds
many more titles than that of an urban legend debunker. He’s also
an animator, graphic designer, stage and interior designer, carpenter,
welder, scenic painter, research and development supervisor, package
designer, actor and writer. For the rest of his accomplishments, see
the back of his business card. When not appearing on MythBusters, s one
of Discovery Channel’s most popular programs, Adam keeps busy as
a special effects guru in Hollywood, working on technologically advanced
films like Star Wars Episodes I & II, The
Matrix sequels and Terminator
3. On a special two hour edition of MythBusters,
Adam and Jamie kick off Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" festivities
by testing the popular shark myths raised by the movie Jaws.
FACTOID -
Shark Week has been an annual feature on Discovery
Channel since 1988 and is cable television's longest
running programming event.
FACTOID - Adam
Savage also worked on Galaxy
Quest, one of our Top
100 Comedy Films of all time.
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 It's
Like Talking to Him on the Phone,
Only Slightly Better
For months now, Mike
Birbiglia has been sharing his stories from the road in a little
segment he likes to call his Secret Public
Journal, now accompanied by a snappy little
intro featuring the full BOB&TOM horn section. We're very excited
to say that this week he'll actually be performing this reading live
in the studio. And who knows, maybe he'll do a little standup comedy
too, or course, he'll be doing it sitting down. In August, Mike will
be joining Kevin Pollak, Drew Hastings, Henry Phillips, Pat Godwin and
a host of other comics who will be touring the country as a part of the FRIENDS
OF THE B&T SHOW FALL COMEDY TOUR 2005. You can sign up to have
Mike's Secret Public Journal e-mailed
directly to your in-box by clicking
here. Be sure to take a look at Mike's childhood
greeting cards while you're there.
FACTOID - If you want to join Mike's ongoing
pizza discussion, (and why wouldn't you?) you can do so by clicking
here and posting your thoughts.
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 Tim
Bedore:
A Stand Up Guy
Over the past 20 years Tim
Bedore has spent thousands of hours entertaining audiences. He began
his career on the radio but soon discovered that he preferred the type
of instant feedback only a live audience can provide. That's when he
decided it was time to move into standup comedy. Since then, Tim's headlined
comedy clubs across the country and is one of the few comedians who's
comedy is just as funny on paper as it is on stage. Bedore has written
and recorded over 250 editions of his popular editorial, Vague
But True, many of which he's read on the air.
A handful of these, such as his installment on The Animal Conspiracy,
have been featured on past BOB&TOM albums.
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Half
The Man 
Fix-the-Joke,
Zany
And
Now a Word 
