Monday
David Dyer
David Dyer has been performing stand-up at clubs and corporate events for over twenty years. He’s worked with some of the best performers in the industry including Drew Carey, Lewis Black, and Kathleen Madigan. He’s appeared regularly on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Show as well as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. and in the past, he contributed to ABC’s Politically Incorrect. He frequently contributes and guest co-hosts on The Tony Gates Morning Show? on 97 WLAV FM in Grand Rapids, MI. He’s won The Grand Rapids Magazine Comedy Joke Off; a competition that put him up against the best comedic talent in the State of Michigan. David’s interesting and sometimes twisted take on life will make you say, “Hey, that happened to me, too even if it didn’t. It’s weird, I know.” Check out his new comedy short, “Crab Grass.” Follow him on twitter and facebook. Visit his website here.
Tuesday
Jeff Dunham
His television specials and series have been the highest rated programming in Comedy Central history, his DVD sales have reached seven million units, his videos have received a half a billion views on You Tube, and his live concerts have become mega-events played in front of sold-out arenas worldwide. No wonder Time Magazine wrote that he is “the most popular comedian in the United States” and Forbes named him to its Celebrity 100 list of most powerful entertainers three years running.
Today, Jeff Dunham is a phenomenally successful global entertainment brand. Dunham has, of course, plenty of help on-stage: his entourage of signature characters who are there to challenge and chastise his every sentence. There’s Walter, the grumpy retiree; the beer-swilling, NASCAR-loving and resolutely red neck Bubba J; the furry and manic Peanut; José Jalapeño, the spicy pepper from South of the border; the bumbling skeletal Achmed the Dead Terrorist; the almost as dead long-lost son of Achmed, AJ; and Peanut’s own ventriloquist dummy: Little Jeff. They may have all been conceived and hand crafted by Dunham, but his characters, who are anything but dummies, have now taken on a life of their own, each with their own legion of fans.
Having toured and performed to sold-out venues across the globe over the last 28 years, comedian Jeff Dunham will be calling Las Vegas his exclusive home with the announcement of his residency show “JEFF DUNHAM: Not Playing with a Full Deck” opening Friday, Nov. 28 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The show is produced by AEG Live.
Follow Jeff on twitter. Visit his website here.
Bill Scheft
Novelist, columnist, television writer. During the last three decades, Bill Scheft has established himself as a versatile, singular and influential comedic voice.
Scheft’s critically acclaimed first novel, THE RINGER (2002), the story of a 35-year-old hired gun softball player whose life changes when he has to take care of his infirm sportswriter uncle, was optioned for film by United Artists, for whom he wrote the screen adaptation. His second novel, TIME WON’T LET ME (2005), chronicled the chaotic resurrection of the prep school garage band The Truants, whose members try to reunite 30 years after learning the album they recorded in 1967 is worth $10,000. TIME WON’T LET ME was a finalist for the 2006 Thurber Prize for American Humor, the nation’s highest honor for literary humor. His third novel, EVERYTHING HURTS (2009) introduced the world to self-proclaimed “self-help fraud” Phil Camp, who accidentally achieved international acclaim writing under the pseudonym Marty Fleck and now tries to seek relief from his unexplained chronic pain through the aid of another self-help guru, Dr. Samuel Abrun. Publishers Weekly raved: “Scheft scewers physical and emotional pain with a mercilessly comic touch and a bit of poignancy.” And Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo marveled, “How rare it is for a novel to be both hilarious and profoundly moving.”
His latest and most ambitious work, SHRINK THYSELF (Rare Bird Books) will be out next spring. Charlie Traub leaves therapy to try and live a non-psychological life. Which would be great if he could shake his former therapist, who turns out to be, uh, nuts. Despite all unexamined evidence to the contrary, Charlie just may be unable to accept that wherever he goes, there he is.
In addition to his long-form fiction, Scheft is widely known for his weekly humor column, “The Show,” which appeared in Sports Illustrated for three years. A collection of his columns, THE BEST OF THE SHOW, was published in 2005. Before coming to Sports Illustrated, Scheft spent two and a half years at ESPN Magazine writing a similar column, called “The Monologue.”
Scheft’s love of sportswriting came from his uncle, the legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind. In 2011, he edited and wrote the foreword to a collection of Wind’s seminal essays, AMERICA’S GIFT TO GOLF: HERBERT WARREN WIND ON THE MASTERS.
After twelve years touring as a stand-up comedian, Scheft was hired as a monologue writer for Late Night with David Letterman in 1991. He was with the program for its last two years at NBC, then moved over to CBS in August, 1993 to work on Late Show with David Letterman. During his 22 years with Letterman, he has been nominated for 16 Emmys. Which, ah, means he’s never won.
A frequent creative presence on award shows, roasts and television specials, Scheft wrote for the 1995 and 2005 Academy Awards, was the head writer for three ESPY Awards and has contributed special material to the Emmys, Tonys and Grammys.
Over the last 20 years, Scheft has contributed humor essays and short pieces to the New Yorker, New York Times, Esquire, TV Guide, George, Talk, Slate, Modern Humorist, the collections Mirth of a Nation, 101 Damnations, May Contain Nuts, Howl, The Enlightened Bracketologist and a few other places that may or may not exist anymore. He is now a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review.
A 1979 graduate of Harvard College, where he majored in Latin because he “thought the church was going to come back,” Scheft began his professional career as a sportswriter for the Albany Times-Union before he came to the realization, “Hey, what the hell am I doing in Albany?” He moved to New York City in December, 1980.
He still lives in Manhattan with his wife, comedian Adrianne Tolsch, and the voices in his head. Get his new book Shrink Thyself: A Novel by Bill Scheft. Visit his website here. Follow him on twitter here.
Wednesday
Dave Dugan
Dugans Aren’t Losers is the name of Dave Dugan’s latest comedy tour and forthcoming CD, both peppered with Dave’s dry, laidback everyman style that has led to several national television appearances including The Arsenio Hall Show, HBO, COMEDY CENTRAL, FOX, A&E and VH-1.
Dugan’s unique humor and observations have also led to over 200 appearances on the nationally syndicated BOB AND TOM SHOW… (where his portrayal of the mean-spirited, politically incorrect, adult bully Bart McCallister has become a fan favorite.)
In addition to headlining at theaters and clubs around the country, Dave’s ability to adapt to each audience and customize content to best fit their industry has made him a highly sought after emcee and corporate comedian. An award-winning voice actor, Dave has been heard on countless documentaries airing on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, ABC TV and CBS TV. In addition, when you watch tv or listen to radio, you have more likely heard him on national commercials that include Subway, Disney, Bass Pro, AT&T, Edge Gel, Erie Insurance and Elmer’s Glue. Follow Dave on facebook. Purchase his live comedy at his website.
Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott is best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie tribute band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down ‘n’ Outz. He is one of the two original members of Def Leppard and one of the three to perform on every Def Leppard album. (From Wikipedia)
About Down ‘N Outz
Sometimes, the most interesting of projects arise from the most unusual of circumstances. So it is that the Down ‘N Outz is a project fronted by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, backed by The Quireboys and playing rare tracks connected only by Mott The Hoople….
Joe Elliott takes up the story, “When Mott The Hoople announced they were reforming for a week’s worth of shows at the Hammersmith Odeon I was asked that I participate in some capacity. They’ve always been my favourite band and it’s nice to see the rest of the rock world finally catch up and give them their due.”
“But, what was I to do? It was suggested to me that the Quireboys would be up for offering their services. This was perfect! A fan since their first album, I loved the idea of working with a band as enthusiastic to do this as I was. I decided that the thing to do was play some songs that like-minded people thought they would never hear live again, if ever, songs by spin offs of Mott the Hoople – songs by Mott, Ian Hunter and British Lions. Songs that are close to my heart, songs that I’ve played every week for the best part of 35 years on record, cassette, CD, iPod and now live.”
The Down ‘N Outz supported Mott The Hoople at one of their legendary 2009 reformation shows at Hammersmith Odeon. In addition to Joe Elliott (Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards), the band featured The Quireboys’ Paul Guerin (Guitar), Guy Griffin (Guitar), Keith Weir (keyboards) and Phil Martini (drums) and finally bassist Ronnie Garrity (Raw Glory). Following a rapturous reception, the one night project took on a life and energy of its own and an album project was born.
Down ‘N Outz then set about recording an album’s worth of material. The album was produced by Joe Elliott with co-production by Ronan McHugh. The album was recorded at Joe Elliott’s own studio, Joe’s Garage, and Moor Hall studio in Bedfordshire. Visit their website here. Get their new album The Further Adventures of… here.
Thursday
Sinbad
Actor and Comedian Sinbad arrived on the comedy scene with a “ hit’em in the face” style of comedy that has kept audiences laughing in the aisles for over the past two decades. He freely admits that he doesn’t knows any jokes, except for the ones that his dad told him “back in the day”. Sinbad tells stories, and boy does he tell stories! The basis of his humor comes from everyone he’s meets, everything he’s seen, and everything he’s done.
Ranked by Comedy Central as one of the top 100 standup comedians of all time, Sinbad has built a loyal following by taking audiences’ painful trials or embarrassing tribulations of day-by-day life, throwing them back in their faces, and causing an uproar of comedic hysteria. He can also make it sound profound without being profane. Not that he’s any kind of choirboy, but by being the son of a preacher man he decided to keep his comedy clean after his father attended one of his early performances. Up to that time he had been what he describes himself as ”semi-dirty”. Sinbad says that he learned that night that “funny is funny”, and that masters of dirty comedy such as Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce could all work clean without losing a step.
“Jingle All the Way,” playing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Houseguest” co-starring the late Phil Hartman, and let’s not forget his film debut “Necessary Roughness”, where he did noneof his own stunts! He has starred in the television sitcom “A Different World” as well as his own series, “The Sinbad Show”. Entertainment mogul Quincy Jones sought out Sinbad to host UPN’s first late night talk show, “Vibe”. He also recently appeared as a recurring guest star on the Showtime Original Series “Resurrection Blvd.” Sinbad has even written a self-help book entitled “Sinbad’s Guide to Life: (Because I Know Everything)”. Sinbad has drawn legions of fans from his HBO highly-rated comedy specials; “Brain Damaged” (1991), “Afros & Bellbottoms” (1993), “Son of a Preacher Man” (1996), and “Nuthin But The Funk” (1998). His annual HBO music concert series (Oh! You didn’t know he was musical?) “Sinbad’s 70’s Soul Music Festival” received the prestigious NAACP Image Award consecutively for two years as the “Most Outstanding Variety Series/Special”.
A one-time basketball standout for the University of Denver, Sinbad agrees that everything he needed to know for comedy, he learned from playing basketball. There are a number of things comedy and basketball have in common. One of the most important to Sinbad is “the competitive aspect that teaches you to never give up”. Now there is one part of Sinbad’s life that has been a well kept secret…he is a closet nerd. This comes in handy as a Master of Technology during private corporate engagements for clients such as: Intel Corporation, Breakaway Technologies, Apple and Microsoft as well as many others. As an intermediary to community focused technology solutions, Sinbad believes no one should be left behind in training and education. He has served as a spokesperson for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) encouraging minorities to pursue studies in science, math and engineering. In honor of his parents Donald & Louise Adkins, Sinbad has established an academic scholarship in their name at the esteemed Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Showing his appreciation for our armed servicemen, the comedian/actor has participated on USO Sinbad is internationally known for his starring appearances in hit movies like tours and performed at the USO of Hampton Roads 2006 Patriotic Festival. Sinbad has appeared on the FX Television series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Also, his long awaited stand-up special aired on Comedy Central this past February. Most recently, Sinbad was seen in the third season of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. Follow him on twitter here.
Friday
Mike Birbiglia
Mike Birbiglia is not only a popular and successful stand-up comedian, he’s also starred in the one-man off-Broadway shows “Sleepwalk With Me” and “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” is the author of the book, “ Sleepwalk With Me And Other Painfully True Stories,” and wrote, starred in and directed the film Sleepwalk with Me (which was based on his one-man-show, which in turn was based on his real life experiences). The film received much critical acclaim and also won the the Best Of NEXT audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. Mike is currently back out on tour. You can follow Mike on twitter and facebook. Visit his website here. (Photo Credit: Brian Friedman)
Dan St Germain
Dan St Germain was chosen as a featured comic in Variety’s annual prestigious “10 Comics To Watch” list, was listed as one of Paste Magazine’s Top 10 Great Underrated Comedians, named Time Out NY’s “Comedy Break Out” of 2013, and he’s currently developing a show with FOX. He’s got a Half Hour special on Comedy Central and has appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan, Best Week Ever, @Midnight, We Love the 2000′s, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, The Electric Company, Guy Code, and a bunch of other basic and not-so-basic cable programs. He’s the creator and star of the web series Kicking Dan Out featured on My Damn Channel, In Security on Comedy Central Studios, and has collaborated with Above Average. Dan’s been a guest on WTF with Marc Maron, Carolla, You Made it Weird, Ron and Fez, Bob and Tom, Fitzdog Radio, and The Artie Lange Show. He’s starred in a Super Bowl commercial with Howard Stern, Jack Links promos for Comedy Central, and was selected by Time Out New York as having one of the best jokes about New York City, a list that included Woody Allen. Check out My Dumb Friends, his podcast on the All Things Comedy Network and his album Bad at the Good Times on AST Records. Visit his website here. Follow him on twitter.
Mike Speenberg
Raised on hush puppies and fried bologna, comic Mike Speenberg has taken his own unique brand of generational comedy all over the country, sharing the stage with other comedic greats like Mitch Hedberg, Lewis Black, Dave Attell, and Bob Saget.
Fueled by stories of home and family, love of country, and being drunk in public, Speenberg’s comedy hits home with everyone of us who have lived through crazy step-parents, above ground pool parties, and square pizza with canned corn. Visit his website here. Follow him on twitter.
