We are not the same
My weekly roundup of headlines and punchlines from funny people and the funny business.
Our top story…
Closing Pandora’s Box: Spotify Wrapped
So yeah, on Friday night, Kelly Carlin announced that you’d no longer be able to hear her father, the late great George Carlin on SiriusXM/Pandora. “Sad to announce the Carlin’s Corner channel on SiriusXM is going away. They also will no longer playing any of his material on any of the comedy channels.”
She elaborated: “The reason we’re off SiriusXM is due to the lawsuit. Until we can all agree with what’s a fair compensation, comedians are being de-platformed. We’re going to look at some new ways to share my dad’s stuff with you through other media.”
We’re just over a year removed from last Thanksgiving’s snubbing drubbing by Spotify.
While plenty of comedians you know and love have since seen parts or all of their catalogs returned to the streaming platform, and other smaller indie comedy record labels have returned after their own scrubbing this spring, some big names remain conspicuously sparse or absent. Such as Carlin, or Lewis Black. Both of whom are embroiled in current litigation against Sirius-owned Pandora. Spoken Giants (formed by the folks at 800 Pound Gorilla Records) and Word Collections, have been radio silent, as it were, on the subject for months now.
All at a time when tons of people, comedians and comedy fans among them, have rushed to social media to report their Spotify Wrapped stats. When even the comedians and musicians who get listed on Spotify still only get three-tenths of a penny per stream on average. Ten streams = three cents! What comedians continue to ask for — and some taking it to the courts seeking justice — is the ability to earn additional royalties for writing the jokes they’ve recorded, just as separate music payments go to both the performer and the songwriter(s).
There has to be a better way. And there is. Support your favorite comedians and musicians by BUYING their albums.
OK, we need something fun to lighten the mood, because I’ve got more dark updates to share this week.
How about this lovely highlight from Monday, when Adam Sandler received a tribute from the Gotham Awards! And delivered this speech written by his daughters!
More awards? You got it!
Congrats to Ari Matti, who came all the way from Estonia to win the 2022 Seattle International Comedy Competition.
Speaking of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, Steffany Whitmore launched a GoFundMe on behalf of her grandparents — David and Laura Tribble — to help them cope with COVID-and-age-related health problems as well as the loss of their business running “Tribble Runs” for stand-up comedians across the West. She closed it Nov. 30 after raising $12,813, more than exceeding her goal of $10,000. God bless us, everyone!
Netflix CEO Defends Chappelle, Again
Reed Hastings, speaking on Wednesday during the DealBook Summit at The New York Times, not only called Elon Musk “the bravest, most creative person on the planet” despite conceding that “yes he’s making a mess of some things,” but also stuck up once more for the comedian he has paid boatloads of money to over the past six years. Asked about the uproar both inside and outside the company over Dave Chappelle, Hastings replied, “Our brand is trying to be the most exciting entertainment brand in the world and Chappelle is dead-center for us. He is the best, or one of the best and that special was one of the most entertaining and watched specials we’ve ever had. We would do it again and again.”
Speaking of people losing their way, who would’ve bet money that Owen Benjamin would be in the news again?
And yet, Ye happened. in his manic streak took him to InfoWars, Kanye West said “I have some jokes about Ben Shapiro by Owen Benjamin I want to read” and two guys with a love for anti-semitic jokes found love in a hopeless place — photos of Benjamin (deplatformed by the big social networks) quickly surfaced of him wearing YE24 gear in support of the rapper’s 2024 presidential aspirations?!? This is kinda funny, but not in the way either of them are hoping.
Industry News
Also as part of Spotify Wrapped, the streamer announced its most-popular podcasts around the world. For 2022, they were: 1) “The Joe Rogan Experience” 2) “Call Her Daddy” with Alex Cooper 3) “Anything Goes With Emma Chamberlain” 4) “Caso 63″/”Case 63” (All Languages) 5) “Crime Junkie”
Mae Martin, star of Feel Good on Netflix, will make their stand-up debut properly on Netflix in 2023, filming a special Dec. 8 in Vancouver, British Columbia, directed by Abbi Jacobson.
HBO Max will begin streaming the early seasons of Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) and will Call Me Kat (FOX) starting this coming weekend, since both sitcoms are co-produced by Warner Bros. TV.
Damon Wayans Jr. is developing Shuga: Baltimore for Paramount+ and CBS Studios. A spinoff of MTV’s Shuga, the drama series would follow six people in, well, Baltimore.
Sight and Sound has released its “Greatest Films of All Time” critics’ poll, which they update once a decade. There’s a new #1!? As far as comedies go, the top 100 of all-time, according to critics around the world, includes City Lights by Charles Chaplin at #36, plus Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., Modern Times, and The General farther down the list.
iHeartMedia announced a new slate of comedy podcasts:
“Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy from The Daily Show” — Now Available, HERE
“Man Thinkers” from hosts George Kareman and Dan Klein — Now Available, HERE
“The History Of Curb Your Enthusiasm With Susie Essman and Jeff Garlin” — January 2023
“Onward with Rosie O’Donnell” (working title) — February 2023
“Really? No, Really?” from Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden — February 2023
“The Amber and Lacey Show / Lacey and Amber Show” (working title) from Amber Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar – Launching 2023
“Bombing with Eric Andre” — Spring 2023
NBC/Peacocking
New sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez received a full-season or back-nine order from NBC, upping the debut season total to 22 episodes from initial 13. NBC boasted that after airing three episodes, the pilot had notched up to a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demo, and 7.6 million viewers on all platforms thanks to Peacock (remember when those numbers would get most everything canceled on network TV?). Anyhow. The sitcom stars George Lopez and his real-life daughter, Mayan, working through their generation gap. Al Madrigal also co-stars. More credits: Creator/showrunner Debby Wolfe executive produces with Bruce Helford, George Lopez, Michael Rotenberg, and Katie Newman. Produced by Universal Television in association with Mohawk Productions, Travieso Productions, Mi Vida Loba and 3 Arts.
Also new on Peacock: Bros, the Billy Eichner rom-com. I saw it in theaters in October, even though not many did (the film earned $11,628,165 at the box office, currently ranking 64th among all movies on U.S. screens in 2022). It had its charms, and it’d be rich if the big finale number scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Honestly, I think people stayed away in droves because the trailers were god-awful and played relentlessly in cinemas.
Even newer on Peacock? Last night’s Saturday Night Live, featuring Keke Palmer, musical guest SZA, a Kenan & Kel reunion (finally!), a Natasha Lyonne surprise cameo and an even bigger reveal: Keke’s having a baby! My recap on Decider.
New Releases
Jeff Dunham: Me The People on Comedy Central. Read my review on Decider, which is informed in part by my podcast interview with Dunham, which allowed me to ask him follow-up questions about his 11th special.
Romesh Ranganathan: The Cynic on Netflix. Read my review on Decider.
Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas? on Showtime. Read my review on Decider.
Michael Che Presents Sean Patton: Number One on Peacock. No review on Decider, but Patton always has flowery fun with phrasing. Perhaps my favorite line from his new special, filmed in New Orleans where his parents met, has him asking potential parents: “What kind of podcast do you want your children to start?”
Also new on Amazon Prime: Steve Byrne: The Last Late Night, a stand-up special that looks and feels as if Byrne were a modern-day Johnny Carson.
Natasha Leggero hosted a Moment on Nov. 29.
Eugene Mirman and Lucy Wainwright Roche released a new jingle, “How Do You Lie to Your Child About Santa” on Mirman’s new indie label, PGF Records, with distribution from their pals at Sub Pop Records.
And Quentin Lee (Margin Films) has a new series featuring diverse voices in Canadian comedy, called Comedy Invasion. It’s a spin-off of two series Lee produced called Comedy InvAsian (2018, 2022). Comedy Invasion premiered Nov. 29 on AAM.tv, with distribution to follow on Prime, Roku, Tubi and elsewhere — episodes feature Toronto’s Desirée Walsh living with cerebral palsy, Vancouver’s indigenous Keith “Bubbas” Nahanee, Vancouver’s Japanese-Canadian Yumi Nagashima, Calgary’s transgender drag queen activist Karla Marx, Vancouver’s queer and Asian DJ On, dual citizen South Asian American and Canadian comedian Alisha Dhillon, Calgary’s fearless and bisexual female comedian Victoria Banner and Vancouver’s own social media sensation Davin Tong (aka Peter Chao).
Late-Night TV Roundup
Meanwhile, other comedians showed up on panels to promote their projects:
James Austin Johnson presented a brilliantly funny bit on The Tonight Show imagining Bob Dylan singing “Jingle Bells” through the years and Dylan’s iterations, plus JAJ’s variety of voices that makes up his Biden impersonation.
Rob Delaney’s memoir, “A Heart That Works,” came out Nov. 29 (buy it on Bookshop!), and he talked about grief with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.
More Sandler? Here you go, courtesy of The Tonight Show.
Dane Cook joked about his colonoscopy on The Tonight Show.
Kate Berlant talked about her one-woman show, KATE, and working with Bo Burnham, on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Billy Crystal showed up to promote Mr. Saturday Night, his Broadway revival of a movie he starred in ages ago, now on Broadway HD, on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Mark Your Calendars
Comedy Gives Back on Dec. 8 celebrates LAUGHING THURSDAY, with Comedy Central as an official partner planning to donate $10,000 and challenging others to give. Several comedy clubs will be participating in fund-raising activities this Thursday. Among them: the Dania Beach, DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Palm Beach and Tempe Improvs, The Laughing Skull Lounge, The Stand in NYC, Stand Up Live, Punch Line SF, Philly, Cobbs and Sacramento, Laugh Boston and Gotham with more to be announced. Fans attending shows on Laughing Thursday are encouraged to use the hashtags #Laughing4Good and #LaughingThursday, too.
Festivus Season?
Turns out the holiday shopping season also has lots of comedy festivals announcing plans for 2023.
SF SketchFest returns after a COVID hiatus, celebrating its 20th anniversary from Jan. 20 to Feb. 5, 2023, in San Francisco. Lineup highlights? An Evening with Elliott Gould: “The Long Goodbye” 50th Anniversary screening and conversation; “A Mighty Wind” 20th Anniversary: an afternoon with Christopher Guest, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, and Michael Hitchcock: screening & conversation with Kevin Pollak; Tributes to Cheech & Chong, Laraine Newman, and David Alan Grier; an all-star Roast of iconic cult actor and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell; “Perfect Strangers” 35th Anniversary with Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot; “Viva Variety” 25th Anniversary Tribute with Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Michael Ian Black, in conversation with Ken Marino; “I Married a Monster From Outer Space:” a Staged Reading with Dana Gould, Bobcat Goldthwait, Laraine Newman, Janet Varney, Baron Vaughn, and more; “City of Dreams” live read with Ken Marino, David Wain, David Cross, Thomas Lennon, Natalie Morales, and more; a night with indigenous sketch comedy group The 1491s (featured in FX’s “Reservation Dogs”); The 5 Year Anniversary of the 10 Year Anniversary of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival with Eugene Mirman and friends; Ken Marino & David Wain’s Middle Aged Dad Jam Session; Upright Citizens Brigade ASSSSCAT with Matt Besser; Judge John Hodgman; Maria Bamford; Doug Benson Movie Interruption; Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins; Asian AF, The Black Version, The Improvised Shakespeare Company. Plus new shows including Fred Armisen hosting a three night residency with a different bass player each night at Great American Music Hall; the Red Room Orchestra celebrates the music of “Twin Peaks” and “Repo Man” with all-star ensembles led by Marc Capelle; Maggie Lawson and Timothy Omundson (aka Lassiter and Jules) host “The Psychologists Are In,” the official Psych rewatch podcast; Jason and Randy Sklar return to host their popular “Dumb People Town” podcast live; Robert Evans hosts “Behind the Bastards” podcast exposing the bizarre realities of the worst humans in history; Kerri Kenney-Silver and Joe LoTruglio join the packed lineup for Midde Aged Dad Jam Session benefitting 826 Valencia, and more!
The first-ever Just For Laughs London takes place in England from March 2-5, 2023. Announced already: Ryan Reynolds, Graham Norton, Katherine Ryan, Reggie Watts, Aisling Bea, Richard Curtis, Rob Delaney, Adam Buxton, Craig Robinson, James Acaster and Nish Kumar, Stamptown, Randy Feltface and more. In partnership with Comic Relief.
Gilda’s LaughFest, will return to Grand Rapids, Wayland and Lowell, Mich., from March 8-12, 2023. In its 13th year, LaughFest, presented by Gun Lake Casino, celebrates laughter for the health of it and raises awareness for the cancer and grief emotional health support program offered through Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids. On March 16, Gilda’s Club will host its Red Door Gala at a new location, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Moontower Just For Laughs Austin returns to Texas, from April 12-23, 2023. First wave of talent includes Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers, Chelcie Lynn, Ben Schwartz and Friends, Vir Das, Chris Distefano, Giggly Squad, Felipe Esparza, Nimesh Patel, and more.
Rip City Comedy Fest is brand new, planned for Portland, Ore., on May 4-6, 2023. Submissions currently accepted through Jan. 20!
UCB Returning to NYC
Turns out the Upright Citizens Brigade plans to return to New York City, after all. They’ve announced three new artistic directors, with in-person classes resuming in January in a temporary spot in SoHo, with plans for a permanent training center and theater in the works. The new UCB-NY ADs include Michael Hartney, who previously served as such from 2018-2020, and co-founded Squirrel Comedy Theatre in the interim, as well as Iliana Inocencio (AzN PoP!, Orange is the New Black, The Other Two, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show) and Laura Canty-Samuel (Sesame Workshop). Congrats!
Fun Things To Do In NYC
And last but not least, my pick for a live show in NYC to see this weekend, which runs in the NYT: “Heben Only Knows!” at The Bell House, this Sunday and next. Heben Nigatu hosts this trivia game show, with Donwill spinning tunes. Tonight with Crissle West, a writer who has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Drunk History,” and Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.” A second show on Dec. 11, also at the Bell House, will feature Aparna Nancherla and Celeste Yim. Tickets start at $20 and are available at Eventbrite.
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