ECNY Nominations Just Announced!

The ECNY (Emerging Comics of New York) Award nominations were just announced at Comix via UStream, which you can watch recorded below:



Kambri Crews and CHI expat and pal Kumail Nanjiani had the distinguished honor of making the announcements, which were then broadcast over the Interweb via Twitter. My Internet pal/nemesis (he can't really be a nemesis b/c he's about 10000x more prolific, connected, and experienced than me as a comedy blogger, but it makes me laugh every time I call him my nemesis so I'm going to keep on w/ it) Sean McCarthy announced almost instantaneously that both his blog and the Apiary are up for the "Best Web Site" category. Let the online flaming wars begin!!! Just kidding. Juuuuust kidding.

Who else was nominated? Have a look right here, and vote! Special shout outs to Brooke Van Poppelen, Pete Holmes, Hannibal Buress, Team Submarine, and Thomas Middleditch!

death of the party.

Oh and BTW, Death of the Party dropped today, son.

Get it now.

OK, I'm off to the Old Town Pizza Pub, where there will be stand-ups, pizza, and sex toy giveaways. A pretty good Tuesday?

video addendum!

The Trailer for Salty Language, Peppered Morals, starring my boy Mike Stanley!



Thanks to Bella for the hip tip!

Related: Story in Real Detroit.

video happy.

Here are a few video things in cyberspace that make me smile:

She's Out of My League trailer, starring Tee Gay Buttfiller:



The seventh episode of IKEA Heights, starring Matty Braunger and Becky Garcia (!!!):



(Vote for them! Force them to make another episode!)

Chrysler spot for the Golden Globes, Best Comedy, starring Brido.

Now we wait for Successful Alcoholics and the latest installment of Drunk History to get up online somewhere now that Sundance is over, I hope I hope I hope!!!

P.S. I *might* be updating here more often, as I find myself wanting to mention things happening in Chicago comedy that aren't necessarily Apiary material, but that I want to write about for posterity, and b/c sometimes, I just like to write about Chicago comedy. I don't envision this blog ever becoming anything 'formal', per se, as it's been a giddy fan blog for so long and i've fallen in love with that voice. But we'll see.

2009.

In my pseudo-tradition, I’d like to round up some favorite Chicago comedy people/places/things/events of 2009. My year was a little skewed, with some personal life things that went on for far too long in the beginning of the year, causing me to miss some things that I might otherwise be cherishing right now. However, in no real order, here are some of the “good things” that marked 2009 for me.

The beginnings of a veritable fuck ton of new rooms. Specifically, for my soul, the following new rooms helped me out personally, as I went through some hardships, and in my reconnection with the Chicago comedy community: Cole’s open mic, Riot Comedy, and the Two Hour Comedy Hour at Gallery Cabaret. I reestablished and began relationships with many, many talents in the community, and began a creative project that I hope to continue working on for the next year.

Related: Meeting an amazing new crop of folks who are working their asses off 6-7 nights a week, perfecting their art, and bringing a whole new energy to the city.

Industry in town to see underground stand-up. Specifically, Just for Laughs Chicago’s inaugural events in June, and the New Wave Entertainment showcases at the Lodge in December. After years of knowing that the people in the underground scene needed to be seen by those that make decisions in Hollywood, 2009 seemed to be the year that this trend had finally begun. And my friends don’t even have to move to LA or NYC (yet).

Comedy road-trips to Michigan (two). Two visits to Angel this year resulted in us attending comedy shows headlined by our good friend/general comedy superstar TJ Miller. During the first visit, we met the dear Miss Kaitlin McCarthy. During the second visit, we met up with Miss McCarthy, and added to the festivities one of our very best friends in comedy, CJ Sullivan. These are two weekends I will never, ever forget. I couldn’t name a whole LOT of details, being the nature of said weekends, but I can remember the energy and love, and will always.

Chasing Saturdays. On several Saturdays towards the end of the year, I found myself at 1-3 showcases, and then out until the wee hours of the morning with the Scumbag Crew 2.0 ™. These did everything to soothe my soul and set me up for the coming week, with the good energy I needed to continue working my way down this ridiculously winding path.

Watching the fight from the street. On a clear, calm night in early November, I experienced one of the most charming evenings I have ever had in Chicago -- viewing a Very Big Deal boxing match while standing on Clybourn Ave., with a crowd of all shapes, sizes, colors, and languages, laughing and joshing and oohing and aahing and gasping, together. We stood outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of a sold out bar, and were able to view every jab and punch played on the dozen flat screens inside. Like orphans, peering into the restaurant where people in ball gowns and tuxedos supped their fine wines. I wouldn’t have traded being outside for any seat inside that bar.

Being in the audience and supporting several CD/DVD recordings of good friends. To name a few: Cameron Esposito, Robert Buscemi, Ricky Carmona… all, I don’t mind saying, hit it out of the mutha-fuggin-ballpark. So proud to watch these projects unfold and become these amazing entities.



The Apiary's new format. The new format for this NYC comedy blog includes coverage of the national comedy scene at large. This means your intrepid blogger/embedded war reporter/stalker-groupie friend K-Rock has a portfolio that will now include "writer for national comedy Web site". And that Chicago is now represented on a national comedy Web site. Win-win-win. I am looking forward to writing a whole lot more in 2010.

Watching Dave Attell from the rafters. I got a last minute invite from my good pal Dan Telfer to accompany him to the Lakeshore Theater to see Dave Attell, someone I have admired and enjoyed for years, perform one Saturday night. The grin could not leave my face the entire time I watched the show from my place in the tech booth, way above the general audience seating. I am sad to admit I did not meet Attell face-to-face; however, the next day, he accepted my Facebook friend request (the non-fan-page one), and “liked” the photo album I posted from the show. I’ll take it.

In general, watching my friends blow it the fuck up. TJ is in another major motion picture. Jordan got accepted to Sundance. Kumail, Josh, Joselyn, Hannibal, write and appear in various new and acclaimed TV shows. Several local people open regularly for national acts (who specifically request them), both here and on the road. Several folks appearing on local and national commercial spots. Three friends on Comedy Central’s “2009 Hot List”. Several friends on Live at Gotham, and the Very Funny Show on TBS. A few making their amazing debuts on Conan and Letterman. Etc. etc. And I could likely go on.

2010.… I am very, very excited for you. Come soon.

The 2010 Comedy Calendar (for now)

underground stand-up showcases/open mics... times might not be totally accurate; will attempt to update as shows come and go throughout the year.

should i add addresses, contact info of producers, etc? i'm *pretty* bored at the parents' house tonight...

The Conglomerate!

Briefly, frienemies: I will be writing pseudo-irregularly about comedy in Chicago, and sometimes about CHI kids in LA, for the newly configured Apiary. The Apiary has made the move to go "national", and is looking for pieces on various scenes in the country. Since the Bastion folded in late '08, I've been wondering what to do w/ myself. 5DM seemed the obvious choice, but it was getting weird for me to continue a fan blog about people I now considered friends and associates. It felt a bit creepy, actually. I mean, I'm 31, right?

Anyway, a chance to do some "real" writing about a community of folks I hold very near to my heart is exciting, and I hope I can continue to do the scene some kinda justice.

Also, I'm on Twitter (again!), but mostly so I can write to the Interwebs during open mics, b/c reading the updates later is amusing to me. Otherwise Twitter is pretty stupid. If you are also on there, befriendify me @kristyrock. I use Twitter to also stalk comedians.

Don't Spit!

As promised, Elizabeth got her Don't Spit the Water photo set up on Flickr for your visual pleasure! Check out the full set here. The reprised show, specially staged for the Just for Laughs Chicago festival, featured former ex-pat cast members TJ Miller, Jared Logan, Robert Buscemi, and Nick Vatterott, and brought back regular players Fuzzy Gerdes, Erica Reid, Paul Luikart, Steve Gadlin, Tyler Lansdown, and Bryan Bowden. It looks like a super good time was missed by this guy right here, who opted to hang out on a beach for eight hours with a cute boy that day instead. OH WELL.

*It should be noted that I am actually super upset with one of those ex-pat cast members in particular, for NOT EVEN MENTIONING HE WAS GOING TO BE IN TOWN AND DOING COMEDY. I actually might have forgone the beach, had I known. Whatever.

Photo by Elizabeth McQuern.

MJ

First of all, this is for me:



As if you asked, this is my favorite MJ song (bonus: this is one of the 'short film' music videos. Totally awesome.)

She's threatening to pull it down, but I don't think Cameron was wrong with the blog she wrote last evening. I watched all the zingers and one-liners roll over my Feedbook friends' feed, too; the examples she cites barely even scratch the surface of how comics were responding in real time to the news of Michael Jackson's passing. For better or worse, we are now living in a society where we can react and interact almost immediately with one another -- for me, this is comforting. I'm okay with that level of communication. I like knowing that I'm not alone, especially when I'm drinking whisky and hanging out w/ a cat while housesitting in an apt on the 14th floor and watching an MJ video marathon for hours. And, like someone mentioned (on Facebook? Twitter? can't remember), maybe the fact that comics are able to get all of these short quips off of their chests immediately means they won't be trying to develop them into jokes and will not then take them out to the open mic circuit. Maybe. Are there any reports from any open mics last night? How did we all do as humans?

Did we make it out okay?

JFL Week came and went, and I don't think there were any casualties... I know that I myself took it really easy, considering the 1,392 things I *could* have done. I'm not going to pretend I did any kind of "coverage" or anything like that -- I saw a bunch of good friends, got and gave a bunch of hugs, and drank a lot of liquor. For some excellent national act coverage, check in on the Time Out Comedy Blog, and the Comic's Comic (aka Sean McCarthy from NYC, who was in town for the fest). As for local show coverage, I know Cameron Esposito dropped some stuff in her new Tribune-affiliated blog, Chilarious, and Elizabeth McQuern, as always, took at least one million photos and five dozen short films over the weekend. Stay tuned to her blog for a full visual report soon!

Photo of Angel holding a JFL logo-emblazoned napkin, and Mary, the Greatest Bartender Alive, hustling behind the counter, as the entire drinking crew of 2006 descends upon her for the Thursday night Homecoming Show at the Lodge. John Mulaney was a very-last-minute addition to an already insane line-up.