After enjoying both critical and commercial success for a decade, most comics would be content to pull back a little, put less pressure on themselves, and generally mellow out. Then there’s Lewis Black. The über -intelligent Daily Show ranter may have made the rounds of all the requisite late-night talk…

Most pop-culture consumers don’t realize it, but there’s much more to being a professional comic than scoring a sitcom and some semi-humorous film work. A circuitous path, as a matter of fact, is far more often the exception than the norm. Take Kevin Brennan, for instance. The Saturday Night Live…

Seriously, exactly where did Chelsea Handler come from? One day she was a virtual unknown, then suddenly there she was, all blond and tall and likable, turning the tired late-night talk-show circuit on its ear with her E! sarcasm-fest, Chelsea Lately. It’s like she never even paid her dues on…

Among comedy geeks, Frank Caliendo is a divider like no other. First off, he’s an impressionist, and not since the halcyon days of Rich Little-as-George Burns has the skill been comparatively viable to, say, humorous hypnotism or ventriloquism. Second, his interpretations of Dubya, John Madden, and Jack Nicholson haven’t really…

He may rail against being called The Next Bill Hicks or The Modern-Day Lenny Bruce, but we think Doug Stanhope secretly likes it. And why not? Both are apt comparisons, as the hard-livin’ cult comic has released four albums and three DVDs of impossibly rational, eternally honest material delivered with…

It took ’em 20-plus years, but hippie days are here again now that the legendary smoke-adelic duo of Cheech & Chong – a.k.a. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong – have reunited for their extended Light Up America (and Canada) Tour. Or, as Marin dubs it, “the Felimony Tour, his felony…

Piano rock, schmiano rock. What Copeland produces is something much more than the recycled Ben Folds schmaltz typical of most ivories-oriented groups. Both Beneath Medicine Tree, the quartet’s 2003 debut, and In Motion, its 2005 breakthrough, were awash in lush, dreamy indie pop that eschewed irony for introspection. The guitar…

Some comics are about an onstage persona that isn’t far removed from their everyday outlook. Others present unadorned, well-thought-out material that speaks for itself. Then there’s Kathleen Madigan, whose feet are firmly planted in both worlds. She’s not blue collar by any means, but her Midwestern, religious upbringing has infused…

Despite being the writer/director of the cult blaxploitation spoof Pootie Tang and the long-time, Emmy-winning collaborator of Chris Rock, Louis C.K. has never been widely known. But suddenly, there he was, starring in – and subsequently fuming publicly over the quick cancellation of – HBO’s Lucky Louie. As of October…

Jim Gaffigan’s got quite a few things going for him. Or not. He’s bald, he’s eye-numbingly pale, and he’s infinitely unhealthy. Lazy? He’s got 10 minutes on the various merits of different items of furniture, and that’s not even counting all the bits on hammocks. Slightly schizophrenic? His best-known running…

Among comedy geeks, Frank Caliendo is a divider like no other. First off, he’s an impressionist, and not since the halcyon days of Rich Little-as-George Burns has the skill been comparatively viable to, say, humorous hypnotism or ventriloquism. Second, his interpretations of Dubya, John Madden, and Jack Nicholson haven’t really…

Herewith, for your entertainment/discussion, an Unofficial Top 8 Highlights of Comedian Gilbert Gottfried’s Career: 8) His “You fool!”-spouting regular on the late Nineties/early Aughts version of Hollywood Squares 7) Jerry the Belly Button Elf, Ren & Stimpy 6) various, VH1’s Best Week Ever 5) his proclivity for voicing various birds,…

D.L. Hughley could patent his Checklist to Guaranteed Comedy Fame, yet he’s somehow fallen short of Chris Rock-caliber cachet. Survivor of troubled formative years? Hughley’s a former Bloods gang member. Acclaimed television personality? He was the original ComicView host before tackling both Premium Blend and Def Comedy Jam. Successful big-screen…

The words “standup comedy” and “insightful documentary” don’t traditionally coincide. There was Seinfeld’s Comedian, of course, and 2005’s raunch-orific The Aristocrats, but while such films tend to reveal a great deal about the decidedly unfunny creative process of crafting material, they fail to achieve what the best comedy does in…

He may look all innocent with his baby face, puppy-dog eyes, and angelic grin. Much more huggable than, say, Denis Leary. After all, just how threatening can a giggly guy who goes by the nickname “Picachu” and proclaims, “I’m not fat . . . I’m fluffy,” be? You’ll find out…

A theory: Yes, he hosted E!’s Talk Soup and starred as Michael Novotny on Showtime’s Queer As Folk. But as far as his onscreen presence goes, Hal Sparks is most hilarious (intentionally or not) in concentrated three-minutes-or-less chunks. The evidence: Everything out of his mouth on all of those VH1…

Other comedians may react to the times by humorously observing the ways in which men and women differ. Eddie Izzard, however, creates time itself. Witness firsthand when the actor/comic brings his Stripped tour to the Orpheum Theater. During the show, Izzard may chat with dinosaurs, rewrite the Scriptures, or give…

West Coast Comedy 101: To springboard into acting, you strike out for LA. To perform standup for – gasp! – standup’s sake, you slug it out in the wilds of the San Francisco club scene. Al Madrigal falls into the latter category, having honed his deceptively baby-faced delivery and effortlessly…

Whereas other comics deliberately diversify, Jerry Seinfeld is known for exactly three things (and no, his wife’s recent brush with cookbook legitimacy isn’t one of them). They are: his brilliant, groundbreaking sitcom, the moderately grating promotional onslaught for last year’s Bee Movie, and the comedian’s total dedication to the art…