CONTENTS The Stand Up Magazine / Volume 1
ON THE COVER Sebastian Maniscalco
Sebastian Maniscalco is an American stand-up comedian born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He was one of four comedians featured in Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland, along with Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, and Bret Ernst. Maniscalo also starred in Russel Peters Best Night Ever.
FEATURE SPOTLIGHT
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STAFF Art Direction
Creative Direction - John Giries
Editorial
Editor-in-Chief - Julian Vasquez
Contributors/Writers Julian Vasquez,
Advertising & Distribution
Global Graphics - 562-945-1444 - globalg1@aol.com
Photography
Scarlett Giries - 562-508-2421 - scarlettstudio7@gmail.com
DETAILS HEADQUARTERS
The Standup 8620 Sorensen Avenue, Ste. 4 Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
email: julian@insidetheindustry.tv Letters may be shortened or edited for clarity and space. Include name, city of residence and daytime phone number.
QUESTIONS AND INQUIRIES Contact 562-945-1444
LEGAL
The StandUp is published bi-monthly in Santa Fe Springs and delivered throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. All rights reserved. Copyright 2014.
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COMIC CLOSE-UP Chris Dunham
AT THE MOVIES
Summer Reviews
COMIC SHOWCASE
Calendar of Events
FOOD & DRINK
The Ice House, Pasadena
TOP 10 COMEDY CLUBS Los Angeles, CA
COMIC
CLOSE-UP
Where most comedy stops, Chris Dunham’s begins.
CHRIS DUNHAM
www.chrisdunham.com facebook.com/chrisdunham Brutally honest, yet filled with passion and silliness. He paints a picture where we are able to laugh at ourselves and the world around us. Featured comic for NORML, Winner of the 2011 Orange County Comedy Competition and most recently was seen at the SLO Comedy Festival.
atthemovies OPINION
I’m in Wait for DVD
OUR PICKS
I will help demystify your trip to the movie theatre.
SUMMER
SIZZLERS Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
MOVIE OF THE MONTH
I’m in
The digital monkeys are back. Something has to be said about Charlton Heston and the original aspect of the first films. Knowing this is all CGI is a downer but still well done.
Transformers 4
An automobile mechanic and his daughter make a discovery that brings down the Autobots and Decepticons - and a paranoid government official - on them. Well the fact that Shia Lebouf is not casted in this version, might make this movie worth seeing. Dinobots are now part of the the landscape. Buy your tickets at Costco so that way if the movie sucks you didn’t pay full price.
Survivors of the simian plague trigger an all-out war between humanity and Caesar’s growing forces.
How to Train your Dragon 2
I’m in
It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races. Great family film and just as good as the first one.
22 Jump Street Wait for DVD
After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college. I gave the first one a pass, but now the sequel is deserving of a redbox rental. Save your popcorn for another movie.
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food&drink
The Ice House Comedy Club has been serving up laughs since 1960 with comedy legends such as Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal and many more. Nestled in Pasadena, CA the Ice House has become the go-to place for fun, food and laughs.
S T N E V E E T A R O S P E I R T R CO A P P U L O O R O G H C S C I F F TRA S R E S I A R D N FU 24 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, Ca (626) 577-1894 • www.icehousecomedy.com
COMEDY never tasted so good. Not only know for comedy but an amazing full bar with a selection of well drinks, cocktails and imported beers. You might want to arrive early to order some of the most tastiest appetizers and entrees in San Gabriel Valley.
OURITES R FAVO
akw York steak sea e t S bozyed 10 oz. Neled to order. w o C rbon gla il nd gr red a Bou e p p i , pe viorfelction. soned a R o pe or eesce h ked t on caper o C o s r a m t k s e Foeuse ďŹ lled par choice of tlh parsley a e Che d wi h you d wit ce. Toppe e v r e u S ara sa eese. marin rmesan ch a and p
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FEATURE SPOTLIGHT
Sebastian Maniscalco
The
WISE GUY What’s Wrong With People? asks Sebastian Maniscalco in his hilarious new hit stand-up special airing on Showtime and available on DVD nationwide. In What’s Wrong With People? he brings his witheringly sarcastic and exasperated take on modern behavior and decorum, trying to bridge the gap between the Italian-American Old World he grew up in and the contemporary frenetic world we all live in today. The result is an original, highly relatable stand-up comedy tour-de-force that has Sebastian performing sold-out concerts worldwide. His self-deprecating comedy reminds fans of a young Jerry Seinfeld who constantly challenges his audience to recognize the absurdities of everyday life. To simply describe his performance, I would have to tell you that afterwards you will look at your habits in a whole new light and laugh all the way to your car. His ability to breakdown the normal routine of humans makes you realize that we need help.
Q: What comic has influenced you the most? A: Well I grew up watching Johnny Carson, I have to say watch- ing the tonight show with Johnny Carson got me into the World of Stand Up comedy, as far as an influence in my own act I just really liked his sense of timing and facial expressions and I think I kind of incorporated that into my own act in my own way but I just thought he was cool I just thought he was a cool comedian and I really enjoyed the way he interacted with other comedians on the show so I have to say he was a very early influence on me in stand up comedy and as the years progress I started listening to Bill Cosby and George Carlan and Jerry Seinfield but I guess Johnny Carson was my first influence. Q: How did you get into the business? A: Well I was always fascinated with stand up comedy. I remember in the early 80’s cable had tons of Stand up Comedy Shows and I just remember watching those shows over and over again just fascinated with how they remembered the whole hour. I was just like how in the hell they remember all the stuff?. I was fascinated with the whole thing I was drawn to that in an early age and always wanted to be part of the entertainment business so I just tried stand up comedy in my junior year of college at Northern Illinois University and had a horrible experience with it, but I just knew that it was one of these things that I just had the ability to do it was I just had to practive at it, so shortly after I graduated northern I moved out to Los Angeles and I took a comedy class, it was a stand up comedy class cause I didn’t really know how to go about getting into the business so I figured let me just get into a class and just do it in the class and the class kind of get my feet wet a little bit and I took the class for whatever it was 2 months and then I dove into an open mic night around los Angeles and it kind of grew from there. Q: How has being married changed your material? A: It has given me material as far as planning a wedding, different cultures, my wife is jewish I’m Catholic so it has given me material with you know different cultures, different upbringings, and so to answer your question yes it has given me material but it hasn’t come as fast as I would like it to. Q: Are you planning a movie career? A: Well you know I don’t think I can plan that I think I would like to get into tv itself and be a natural progression for me but when I got into this business my goal was to just do stand up comedy and make a living doing it, and if anything happen I never used stand up as a vehicle to get me into acting is more like I really enjoy performing on stage and enjoy sharing my thoughts with strangers and if it happens to be you know to move into tv and so on yeah but I will like to venture into those as another creative outlet but if I was doing stand up for the rest of my life I wouldn’t mind that at all.
Q: Would you like to elaborate in future projects with either some of the National TV that you got coming up? A: I will elaborate on few things as far as comedy and the year 2014 which I didn’t really grow up on the internet so I kind a had to adjust to kind of promote myself thru social media so in my fb page in my instagram page I started this taking videos of people that I see on a day to day basis that might be doing something that will go under the hashtag AREN’T YOU EMBARRASED? And I noticed that a lot of peo- ple has taking to these whole like.. a is similar to the people at walmart where people are taking photos of how people dress what ive been doing its because my act is pretty much based on my digust with human behavior and now I’m capturing that behavior in video and sharing it with fans and they seem to be really gravitating towards them so out of that my next special which we are shooting in my home town of Chicago, June 28th at the Harris Theater is entitled Aren’t you embarrassed? And will air later this year in show time so I’m excited about that and I was nominated in the by the American comedy awards for best club comedian with 8 or 9 other comedian so that’s an award show that will be airing I believe on NBC on May 15. You know I’ve never been nominated in my entire life as far of winning an award for my profession so that was exciting to get that news and we sold a pilot idea to NBC which they had passed on so now we are now taking that idea to to oher cable outlets to see if we can possibly sell a sitcome mostly based on my life to them but this 2 major things in my life right now the award show and shooting a Showtime special. Q: Do you write your own material? A: Yes, all my material is written from my own life experi- ences is not so much written is more like a...you know my mom is kind of my muse I will call her and I will tell her a story and for whatever the reason everytime I talk to my mother either in person or on the phone the stories that I tell her tend to work themselves out into stage bits so is not really writing although I just met a writer recently and he is really taking to my act given me some tags but no I haven’t worked regularly with a writer.
www.twitter.com/sebastiancomedy.com
www.facebook.com/sebastiancomedy.com
www.sebastianlive.com
- Schedules and times are subject to change without notice 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.
Jeff Dunham
Dunham has, of course, plenty of help onstage: 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.
July 16, 2014 Pacific Amphitheatre Costa Mesa, CA
Rob Schneider His combination of self-deprecating humor and goofball antics earned him rave reviews, and he was soon opening for the likes of Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. Schneider got his big break in 1990, when Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels hired him on as a writer for the show. Soon, he was performing his own material and was a cast regular until 1994 when he left to pursue his film career.
Sept. 11-14 2014
Brea Improv
Sebastian Maniscalco Sebastian Maniscalco is an American stand-up comedian born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He was one of four comedians featured in Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland, along with Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, and Bret Ernst. Maniscalo also starred in Russel Peters Best Night Ever. Maniscalco has also appeared on the television programs Comedy Central Presents, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Jay Leno Show.
George Lopez George Lopez is a multi-talented entertainer whose career encompasses television, film, standup comedy and late-night television. For two seasons, Lopez hosted Lopez Tonight, a late-night television talk show on TBS, which represented Lopez’s return to series television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in Warner Bros. Television’s groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez,.
June 21, 2014
June 14- 15, 2014
Hollywood Bowl
Honda Center Costa Mesa, CA
Pablo Francisco Pablo is one of the most popular touring comedians worldwide. His two Comedy Central one hour comedy specials “They Put It Out There” and “Ouch!” continue to stay on the networks most requested list. Pablo hits his mark every time, weaving together his one of a kind arsenal of characters, spontaneous outbursts, spot on impressions and clever insights to create a stand-up show that more resembles an hour-long comedic jazz riff. Pablo’s show is an entertaining and off-the-wall performance that delivers the laughs and points out the hilarious absurdities in an illogical, pop-culture obsessed world.
Sept. 11-14 2014
Aug.6-10, 2014
Brea Improv
Brea Improv
- Schedules and times are subject to change without notice -
Adam Hunter Sommore Sommore reigns as the undisputed “Queen of Comedy.” This trendsetting, highly-acclaimed veteran entertainer is widely considered one of America’s top comedic female entertainers. With a winning combination of class and sass, Sommore offers audiences a hilarious, yet piercing look at today’s issues from a woman’s perspective. She is frank and fearless in her routines, tackling topics that range from the mundane to the controversial with wit, intelligence and style. She is among the top-grossing stand-up comediennes in the United States and abroad. Oprah Winfrey proclaimed her “a force to be reckoned with in the new millennium.”
JUNE 20-22, 2014
Ontario Improv
Carlos Mencia Carlos Mencia is undoubtedly one of today’s most popular entertainers and comics. Whether it is man-on-thestreet interviews, studio comedy, commercial parodies, nationwide sold-out tours, or films, Mencia demonstrates an extraordinary ability to connect with a wide and diverse audience. In the last couple years, Mencia chose to go back to his comedic roots, performing at a number of comedy stores throughout the country – allowing him to share his newest material with smaller and more intimate audiences
July 5, 2014
Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Universal City
June 21, 2014 Gallo Center for the Arts Modesto, CA
Maz Jobrani is a founding member of The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which aired on Comedy Central in 2007. He has had two Showtime comedy specials, I Come In Peace and Brown and Friendly, and performs stand-up comedy around the world, including the Middle East where he performed in front of the King of Jordan. Maz starred in the films Friday After Next, 13 Going on 30, and The Interpreter. On TV he was a regular on ABC’s Knights of Prosperity and FOX’s Life on a Stick. He also recurred on ABC’s Better Off Ted.
July 11-13, 2014
Maz Jobrani
Adam Hunter is one of the hottest young stand up comedians around today. He is full of exciting energy that makes crowds go wild. He headlines all over the country, putting his heart and soul into every performance with an act that is brash, deep and most importantly, funny.
Ice House Pasadena, CA
Brad Williams Brad Williams possesses something that everyone can agree is funny: a disability. Brad is a dwarf. He has appeared on numerous TV shows including Mind Of Mencia, Live at Gotham, the Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Pitboss. Brad has also performed for the troops all over the world because soldiers think dwarfs are funny too.
July 3, 2014
Ice House Pasadena, CA
- Schedules and times are subject to change without notice -
Al Madrigal Bob Saget Bob Saget: Yes, Bob Saget has starred in many successful television shows, including two of the most family-friendly shows network TV has ever produced (“Full House” and “Americas Funniest Home Videos”) but he’s also an out of his mind, standup comedian for over thirty years. From his HBO special “That Ain’t Right” to his scene-stealing cameos in “Entourage,” and “The Aristocrats,” it’s always effective as Saget embraces his dark side.
July 11-13 2014
Craig Shoemaker Craig Shoemaker is a modern day Renaissance man. Best known for his engaging, relatable standup and his iconic baritone-voiced character, “The Lovemaster”, Craig delights every audience with his multi-dimensional ability to entertain in a way that is not only amusing but also relevant. Craig has had several successful solo TV stand-up specials, co-starred in numerous films, hosted popular network TV shows, written two beloved children’s books and performed for four U.S. Presidents.
Named Best Stand-Up Comedian by the HBO/ U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Al Madrigal’s comedy has been called “dynamic” by The New York Times. He is now a seasoned correspondent on “The Daily Show.” His unique, spontaneous and fast-paced lyrical storytelling style has made him a regular on television with numerous appearances on Comedy Central.
July 18, 19, 2014
Ice House Pasadena, CA
June 29, 2014 Ontario Improv
Brea Improv
SPECIAL EVENT
Jay Leno
A popular comedian during the 1970s, Jay Leno is best known as the man who replaced Johnny Carson at the helm of The Tonight Show in 1992. Leno was born James Douglas Muir Leno to parents of Italian and Scottish heritage (Leno is particularly fond of discussing the Italian part) in New Rochelle, NY, but was raised in Andover, MA. During the year in which he was establishing his standup career, Leno was performing 300 nights throughout North America. He made his television debut on the Merv Griffin Show and his acting debut in Silver Bears (1977). That year he appeared in the cast of the short-lived Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show, a musical variety summer replacement series. By the early ‘80s, Leno had left behind any notion of becoming an actor because his comedy career was in high gear.
June 29, 2014
Comedy & Magic Club Hermosa Beach
SPECIAL EVENT
Tommy Davidson Tommy Davidson’s exceptional range – standup comedy and acting to versatile music ability – have earned him a reputation as an extraordinary performer. Best known as one of the original stars of the hit television show In Living Color, Tommy’s visibility increased rapidly and he became widely known for his innovative talent.
July 18, 19, 2014
Ice House Pasadena, CA
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Louis CK by Erika Star
There is simply no-one more prolific in the world of comedy than this man, Louis CK. The MexicanAmerican comedian has released a new special every year for the past three years, alongside writing, filming and producing his incredibly popular FX show, Louie, all while touring the United States and Europe frenetically. You have to wonder if there’s any time for sleep in amongst all that. But it’s not just the quantity of work that has fans the world over impressed. He’s consistently the funniest comedian working today, his experience as a 45 year old divorcee with two young kids proving a golden repository of material for his noholds-barred and at times intensely personal comedy. Just watch a clip from his latest special, Oh My God, to get an idea of how strong his recent material is.
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Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart’s status in the comedy world is rising faster than the sea level. The 32 year old first came to the public’s attention in the TV series Undeclared, then in roles in movies such as Scary Movie 3 and Along Came Polly. Since the release of his 3 standup specials, ‘Grown Little Man’, ‘Seriously Funny’ and ‘Laugh at my Pain’, he has gone from strength to strength accumulating over $15 million in ticket sales.
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Russell Peters Let’s be honest - everyone on the planet by now has heard of Russell Peters. The man who famously sells out giant stadiums and venues the world over, who sold out a recent show in Malaysia within an hour of tickets being made available. He also broke the UK comedy sales record in 2009, selling over 16,000 tickets for his performance at the London O2 Arena. Most noted for his humorous observations on cultural differences, coming from an Indian-Anglo cultural background himself.
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Joe Rogan
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Joe Rogan is almost a household name in the States - but not just because of his standup comedy. He is most well known perhaps for his highly publicised role as UFC co-commentator, and former host of the hit reality show Fear Factor. In recent years though, the public at large has begun to realise and appreciate the immense talent he possesses as a stand-up comedian, and he is finally getting the recognition for his comedy work that he deserves.
Daniel Tosh
Bill Burr
Bill Burr is a hugely underrated comedian, a Boston native who has been performing standup for 21 years and has developed a delightfully sardonic and witty brand of humour. His latest special, You People are All the Same, is a brilliant diatribe on the numerous things that piss him off, such as plastic surgery deformities and women who deliberately seek to push a man’s buttons in order to induce rage.
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Daniel Tosh is one of the most popular comedians working today, largely due to the runaway success of his Comedy Central show in which he shows the weirdest and funniest Internet videos, Tosh.0. Born in Germany but raised in the US, Daniel Tosh has said that plans to retire on May 29, 2013 - by either committing suicide or retiring to the beach.
Demetri Martin
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Demetri Martin’s unique style has attracted a legion of fans through the years. He relies heavily on clever wordplay, oneliners and liberal use of non-sequiturs, and his combination of musical performance with deadpan observations is something you definitely have to check out.
www.thestandup.net
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Maria Bamford
It would be hugely amiss of us not to include some female comedians on this list, wouldn’t it?
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Well, rest assured that Maria Bamford isn’t just here as a feeble attempt to balance the gender ratio. She genuinely is hilarious, and has become more renowned across the US and the world with her self-deprecating humour and brilliant impressions.
Chelsea Peretti
You probably recognise her for her hilarious part in the first season of Louie, as the unfortunate victim of a date with Louie that goes horribly, gut-wretchingly wrong. But she’s an absolutely brilliantly funny standup comedian, and deserves her place in this Top Ten list for her lightning wit and unyielding social observations.
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LOS ANGELES
COMEDY CLUBS TOP 10 #1 HOLLYWOOD IMPROV COMEDY CLUB 8162 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles 323.651.2583
#2 LAUGH FACTORY
8001 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 323.656.1336
#3 COMEDY STORE
8433 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 323.650.6268
#4 M.I.’S WESTSIDE
COMEDY THEATER 1323 3rd St., Santa Monica 310.451.0850
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Moshe Kasher
Rounding out the list at Number 10 is the New York born but California raised Moshe Kasher, a guy with an interesting childhood to say the least - his book Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 reveals a life in and out of mental institutions and rife with drug use.
#5 COMEDY &
MAGIC CLUB
1018 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach 310.372.1193
#6 JON LOVITZ
COMEDY CLUB
100 Universal Studios Blvd. Universal City 818.824.6545
#7 ACME COMEDY
THEATRE
135 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles 323.525.0202
#8 ICE HOUSE
COMEDY CLUB
135 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles 323.525.0202
#9 LAUGH FACTORY
LONG BEACH
151 S. Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 495-2844
#10 The Comedy Union
5040 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90019 (323) 934-9300
lahistory It was the late 1940s and a wealthy banker’s home was falling into disrepair. Then poof! The Victorian house turned into an entertainment hub dubbed the Magic Castle that has become beloved in Los Angeles for its magic, mystery and memorable members. “Today the Magic Castle turns 50, which is the new 40, which in Hollywood is the new 20,” cracked actor/magician and academy member Steve Valentine, who served as master of ceremonies at the 50th birthday celebration of the Magic Castle. The mansion on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood is the official private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote the magic arts. It’s still an exclusive club - with dinners and shows open only to members or guests of members. The academy and the Magic Castle were founded by writer, actor, magician and entrepreneur Milt Larsen and his late brother William Larsen Jr. in 1963. What started with a handful of magicians, illusionists and enthusiasts like Cary Grant and Johnny Carson now boasts more than 5,000 members during the year.
Magic Castle The
But as the newly unveiled plaque from the brotherhood of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E. Clampus Vitus reads: “It wasn’t as easy as abracadabra.” Just a year ago, the Magic Castle was damaged by a fire on Halloween that tested the academy’s resilience.
7001 Franklin Ave Los Angeles, CA 90028 • (323) 851-3313 www.magiccastle.com