Congratulations to Sara Schaefer, Emmy Winner

I'd like to congratulate my friend and occasional collaborator Sara Schaefer on winning an Emmy for "Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media." I've known few people who combine talent with so much drive and hustle, and you deserve every golden, pointy inch of that statuette.




















You've certainly come a long way from the days when we got blackout drunk on comically large goblets of red stuff.













I'm kidding, of course. I meant "falling down" drunk.

Congratulations again, on your Emmy win. If anyone reading this has never gone to see Sara perform, jump on your very next chance. Just watch out when she pulls out a straw and starts eying your drink.

Congratulations, Sara

I've known this for a while, but now that it's been blogged, I feel like I don't need to sit on my public congratulations any longer. Congrats to Sara Schaefer, my longtime friend and occasional colleague, on her awesome new job as head writer for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon's website. Good work, Sara. You're the best... around. (karate montage)














Sara dances her way into Jimmy Fallon's heart.

Captains in Space Episode Eight: The Venusian Candidate is OUT NOW!

Leggy comedienne Sara Schaefer guest stars as Spacewoman Schaefer, a politician who's in the fight of her life to become the next President of Space. Who stands in her way? Two co-captains and a lady computer. It's decision 2089 -- who's ready to be pandered to?

ALSO: Shiny new credit sequence! And Eric Zuckerman as a hairy detective. You may have seen him earlier this year stuffing food down his pants in the hit comedy Baby Mama. And now he stuffs this episode... down his pants.

Subscribe via iTunes, download it, or watch it via YouTube, below:

THE VENUSIAN CANDIDATE

Episode Written by: Dan McCoy
Additional Material by: The Captains in Space writing staff
Producer/ Assistant Director/ Editor: Fed Hatoum
Director/ Cinematography/ Audio: Brad Bergbom
3D Modeling: Winston Johnson
Special Effects: Fed Hatoum
Special make-up effects: Dan McCoy
Theme music: Keith Burgun
Head Writer: Dan McCoy
Writing Staff: Matt Koff, Fed Hatoum, Andrew Dickerson

Cast:
Captain Fed - Fed Hatoum
Captain Matt - Matt Koff
Frankie - Vedette Lim
Spacewoman Schaefer - Sara Schaefer
Kojackal - Eric Zuckerman
Alien Newscaster - Elliott Kalan
Attack Ad Narrator - Dan McCoy

A NOTE: Some of you may notice that this episode features the same plot as that Kevin Costner flop Swing State, a film which you probably forgot about until I mentioned it right now, even though it was released one short month ago.

Let me assure you that I wrote this episode long before the movie was even in production (nearly two years ago -- yeah, that's how long we lag from script to screen. A bunch of real pros, we are), and we shot it back in November. So there's no connection between the two except for the writer of that movie and I both looked at how close the last two elections have been and came up with the same hack premise. Except my version, you know, actually makes sense, as it takes place in a fantasy science fiction world, rather than the real-life U.S.A., which has a little something called the Electoral College.

Anyway, America has already rejected Costner's version. So let's just pretend it doesn't exist, kay?

The Flop House Episode #22 is ONLINE!

We're joined by comedian and BestWeekEver.tv blogger Sara Schaefer to discuss Vantage Point, the movie that proves that any flimsy concept can be stretched to 85 minutes with the strategic deployment of flashbacks. Meanwhile, Sara reveals her tragic film-memory affliction, Stuart poses a provocative animal question, and Dan reveals a surprising amount of Funky Winkerbean knowledge.












Guest host Sara Schaefer with the Hulkster. Can you afford not to listen to this episode?

0:00 - 0:32 - Introduction and theme.
0:33 - 2:30 - We introduce our guest co-host, leggy comedienne Sara Schaefer.
2:31 - 35:29 - We each give our vantage points on the film Vantage Point. See what I did there? I made you want to shoot yourself.
35:30 - 38:40 - Final judgments.
38:41 - 43:28 - We announce the WINNER OF THE FLOP HOUSE CONTEST!
43:29 - 47:17 - The sad bastards recommend. (Also, according to our web research, the second movie Sara recommends-- the one where she can't remember the title-- is probably Butcher Wing.)
47:18 - 52:11 - Sara plugs some stuff, and Stuart demonstrates his complete misunderstanding of the concept of plugs.
52:12 - 53:29 - Goodbyes, theme, and outtakes.

Press the play button above to listen to this episode
Download Mp3

Paste theflophouse.libsyn.com/rss into iTunes (or your favorite podcatching software) to have new episodes of The Flop House delivered to you directly, as they're released.









Wikipedia synopsis of Vantage Point












Dan and Sara enjoy a giant goblet of something.

Congratulations to Sara Schaefer

Congratulations to my friend and occasional colleague Sara Schaefer on her new gig writing for BestWeekEver.tv. This is the second time she's been able to quit her soul-crushing corporate job for gainful comedy employment. Some day I hope to know that sweet joy.

In the meantime, you can follow her collected Best Week Ever posts here.

Buy "One Sara Show" Tix Online - Get Free Drink!

I'm giving readers of my blog the hook-up, ultimate booze-style. If you buy advance online tickets for Sara Schaefer's One Sara Show (featuring a cameo from yours truly) enter the coded SSFAN to get a drink ticket at the box office. Sara. Me. Alcohol. What more do you people want?

See Me (briefly) in Sara Schaefer's ONE SARA SHOW

Hey all -- my live appearances have been sparse lately, hopefully to be rectified in the near future, but for now you can enjoy my cameo in Sara Schaefer's new show. She's been working on it since last year, and now she's taking it to Ars Nova, one of the nicest theater spaces in New York. So come see it, why don't you?

SARA SCHAEFER'S ONE SARA SHOW
WRITTEN AND STARRING SARA SCHAEFER
DIRECTED BY JON FRIEDMAN
MUSIC BY MEOWSKERS

Tuesday, June 17 @ 8 p.m. Ars Nova Theatre Tickets ($15) available at SmarTix or Ars Nova or by calling (212) 868-4444

In her new show, Sara Schaefer's One Sara Show, comedian Sara Schaefer attempts the impossible: to stage a solo show all about herself while simultaneously proving she's not a self-absorbed bitch. With the help of a hipstery rock band (Meowskers), some friends (Tamra Malaga, Dan McCoy, and Dan Winckler), and a whole lot of glitzy multi-media pyrotechnics (i.e. VHS home movies and clipart), it's way more than a solo performance - it's a goddamn miracle.

Upcoming Show Alert!

Hey! I'm gonna be appearing in Sara Schaefer's upcoming "One Sara Show." Who will I be playing? Well, not Sara, that's to be sure, since that would mean exceeding the prescribed Sara ration for the evening.

What's that? You'd like to hear about the show in Sara-penned press release form? Well, okay.

* * *

Hello friends. You know, being Thanksgiving Eve and all, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support over the years, and especially over the past few months.

And, I want to let you know that you *might* want to clear your schedule for December 18 at 8 p.m. Because I'm previewing my new show at Union Hall in Brooklyn, and I think you will enjoy it. It's special. It's FREE. There's a live band on stage with me (The Lisps, who I ADORE), and videos, and other spectacular effects...and me.

SARA SCHAEFER'S ONE SARA SHOW
DIRECTED BY JON FRIEDMAN
WRITTEN BY SARA SCHAEFER
MUSIC BY THE LISPS

Special preview performance:
December 18 @ 8 p.m. - FREE!
Union Hall, Park Slope, Brooklyn
702 Union Street @ 5th Ave.

What does Sara Schaefer have to do to prove that she is a self-centered attention whore? Does she have to put on a one woman show with her name in the title? Does she have the quirky indie rock band, The Lisps backing her? What about hilarious home movies from her childhood, bizarre clipart, the true definition of "rockbottom", and a live video experience that will pretty much blow your mind? Well, you got it. Sara Schaefer presents, 'Sara Schaefer's One Sara
Show', written and starring Sara Schaefer.

If you don't love this show, you hate orphans.

Directed by acclaimed comedian/producer and the creator of "The Rejection Show", Jon Friedman. Music by The Lisps. Featuring Lang Fisher and Dan McCoy. Live video by Dan Winckler.

The Worst in a Long Line of Bad Business Decisions

Good luck with your comically outmoded business model, AOL.

Friday Video Fun

Here's a parody of an OnStar commercial, written by my longtime cohort Sara Schaefer, and performed by Sara and yours truly. More to come!

Don't You Forget About Me (Onstar Parody)

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Fun fact: the audio delay you hear is because we were actually talking over the phone. It's like a DVD commentary in blog form around here!

Everyone's Working for Me

A while back I shot something for Sara Schaefer's AOL music and comedy show "The DL," and today they posted it online, so that all could enjoy my stiff acting and surprisingly large number of chins. Since it's somewhat office-themed, and it features the back of Sara's head in one shot, this is probably the closest fans of Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You are gonna get to a reunion. So lap it up:



A guest writing spot in Gawker two weeks ago... a starring role in a two minute AOL video today. I know what you're thinking-- I've sold out. Gone all corporate. Well, guess what? I didn't get paid for either! HA! What do you think of me now?!

Hmn... Perhaps I need an agent.

DVD commentary extra: I ad libbed the line "You're next." Yeah, that's just how a brilliant comedy mind works.

Why Yes, I Was in a Music Video (Updated)

Updated: the original YouTube video was extra fuzzy for some reason, but the problem has since been fixed.
--

Way back in the summer, videographer/ rapper extraordinare John Kingman put together this music video for Sara Schaefer's smash UCBT show, Video Gaga. Check me out in a featured cameo as John's hot dog eating coach.



Because of some technical difficulties, John couldn't get it up on YouTube until now, but that just means that you have one more thing to brighten up your dark winter months.

By the way, if the embedded video doesn't load, try this link: Lips & A**holes, by Colonel Bastard. The rapper, not the band. Oh, and another of John's music videos (sadly Dan-free as it may be) can be found here.

I Am the Ted McGinley of Fake Talk Shows

Flashback to May of last year-- I join the writers/ cast of Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You for the last 6 months of its two-year run. It's one of the more popular (at least, for the size of the venue) comedy shows in the city, and, although talk-show-format stage shows were certainly not a new idea, SSIOWY did it before it became the cliche it now seems to be.

During my time with the show, the success continues. We have one of our biggest guests in Lisa Loeb (and standing backstage listening to her perform "Stay" live, a song that I remember first seeing on MTV in high school, is still one of my most treasured NYC comedy memories). We get considered for the Aspen Comedy Festival, and, though we don't ultimately get called back, it's an honor to have been scouted.

And then the show ends shortly thereafter.

We go out in top form, with a final episode I'm very proud of. Sara goes on to a justly deserved job as a web-host for AOL Music's "The DL" (check it out, people). Fellow writer Amanda goes on to a justly deserved job writing for Greg Giraldo (although she's currently free--hire her, people!). Kara Lee departs for new horizons in L.A. And Patrick continues in his day job as Conan O'Brian's personal assistant. And I go on to...

The Primetime Kalan-- another live talk show, hosted by Daily Show associate producer Elliott Kalan. It was originally conceived as an unwritten midnight talk show. With the move to an earlier hour, Elliott decided to tighten things up with more pre-written bits, and kindly asked me to join. Much fun is had, particularly due to the never ending stream of Daily Show guests, courtesy of Elliott's delightfully shameless connection-pimping.

I stay with this show for about nine months of its two year run.

And it's ending. Next weekend.

Clearly, something is happening here. I am forced to come to the conclusion that I am the Ted McGinley of Fake Talk Shows-- Ted, of course, being "the patron saint of shark jumping." My presence apparently marks some sort of death knell for semi-successful basement-comedy-talk-programs. On the bright side, my staying power seems to be gradually increasing. When I join the cast of Late Night With Jon Kingman is Obsessed With Being Primetime, I may even make it a whole year before bumping the thing off.











"The McGin" -- just, you know, hangin'

On the other hand, perhaps I'm misreading the situation. Perhaps I am not the Ted McGinley of stage talk shows, but merely the Cousin Oliver-- perhaps I'm the guy brought on in a last ditch attempt to revitalize a slumping show by virtue of my adorableness and ability to bring in a wider audience. That audience being, specifically, my college friends who live in the NYC area. Hey, that extra 20 people is nothing to be sneezed at!

Either way, next time I hope to get paid.

So Many Memories...

As the seasons change, let's take this opportunity--and my lack of new blog posting material--to look back over some of my late summer/ early fall (at least the comedy related part of it) via photographs. I don't have any available of Zombira, at present, but maybe I'll post those a little later.

And now, courtesy of my wife and her always-photographing ways, here's a little retrospective of the last few months.


Elliott gives one of his always-succinct monologues.


Dan confesses his inadequacies to sexual therapist Elliott, while wearing a funny hat.


Demetri Martin gives my wife the thumbs-up.


Dan and Elliott relax pre-Primetime Kalan by watching the Planet of the Apes cartoon.


The Daily Show's Dan Bakkedahl confuses Elliott Kalan's Ghost Hunting Club for Elia Kazan's "Go Stunting" Club.


Dan and Erik are sheepish about their lack of ghost hunting success.


In a shocking twist ending, the ghost hunters are revealed to be vampires.


Sara Schaefer has a Citizen Kane moment at her AOL "The DL" launch party.


I chat with Sara's Video Gaga co-producer John Kingman, regarding the open bar. This photo is not an endorsement of Stella Artois.


I congratulate Sara on becoming "The Internet's Sara Schaefer."


I am attacked by a bear. Tragically, I did not survive.

Congratulations, Sara Schaefer!

What did I do, immediately following my performance in the smash sketch comedy show Zombira's Scaretaculous Halloween Horrortacular*?

I went to a launch party for Sara Schaefer's new AOL online music show, The DL! How was the party, you ask? It was awesome. Let me count the ways.

1. Weird Al was there. Granted, I did not witness this, as I had to come late, thanks to the aforementioned sketch show. But really, how cool is this? Knowing that mere minutes earlier, the Hawaiian-shirted one trod that very floor. Oh, and also, the video invite to the party featured Hulk Hogan.

2. Sara was 8 feet tall. Well, not in person-- but, throughout the evening, footage of Sara doing music journalism-y things (like interviewing Regina Spektor) were projected on the back wall throughout.


Imagine this, but as big as your apartment.

How weird is it, to be at a huge party (AOL rented out the entire Canal Room for chrissake), thrown in honor of a show starring a friend of mine, someone I used to write for and perform with in the old Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You? About a millionth as weird as it must have been for Sara. You're a superstar, baby.

3. Open bar. As I said to Sara, "Thank you for getting famous, so we get free drinks."

4. Some random girl hit on me. I am, as I told said random girl, married. Happily so. However, that doesn't keep me from being flattered by unexpected pick-up attempts. Thanks for inflating my sense of self worth, mystery girl!

But mostly it was awesome because Sara deserves it. She's funny, appealing, talented, and she couldn't be a nicer person. So congratulations to my old fake boss! I look forward to seeing you on the Internet. Go check out The DL, people!

*last chance to see it tonight!

See Me in Video Gaga Tonight!

As mentioned previously, I will be reuniting with my old SSIOWY cohort, Ms. Sara Schaefer herself, for a cameo appearance in her new show Video Gaga. I will be on hand to deliver the week's music news. Will hi-jinks ensue? You'll have to come to find out.

Video Gaga
Wednesday, September 20, 9:30
Funny music videos by Matt Evans, Ann Carr, Vince Sabatini, and more!
Musical Guest: The Undisputed Heavyweights
Tickets $5
Reserve tickets here or call 212-366-9176
Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre
307 W. 26th Street, btw 8th & 9th

See Me in Video Gaga This Wednesday

Hey folks-- so I'll be making some sort of appearance at this week's Video Gaga at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing (preparation! yeah!), but the show will reunite me with my former fake boss (and current AOL music correspondent) Sara Schaefer. It's like a Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You reunion... except Amanda and Kara Lee won't be there... or Patrick... oh, and the concept of the whole show is completely different. On second thought, it's more like when Susanne Pleshette showed up on Newhart.

And, yes, in this scenerio, I'm Susanne Pleshette. How can you pass that up?



Video Gaga
Musical Guest: The Undisputed Heavyweights
Wed., September 20, 9:30 pm
@ The Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater
307 West 26th Street, Manhattan
Tix: $5

Plugging Friends: The Return

Again, I had no part in the making of this video, but it stars two of my old Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You cohorts (hint: the two who aren't animated paperclips). It was created for Sara's new show, Video Gaga, so if you like this, you should go check it out. Enjoy.

A Video Done By & For Some Friends

I had no part in making the following video, but it was put together by two of my fellow Kalan writers, Brock and Erik, for Sara Schaefer's new show. So I thought you fine people might be interested. It shows two of Weird Al's new songs, and one lost "classic."

Gentle Reminder: Video Gaga TONIGHT!

Remember, tonight I will be appearing in a featured role in one of the videos in Sara Schaefer's Video Gaga.

VIDEO GAGA
Wednesday June 14, 9:30 p.m.
Tickets $5 (reserve at www.ucbtheatre.com)
Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre
307 W. 26th Street, btw 8th & 9th

Also, while you're clicking on things, go over and check out Andres du Bouchet's inspiringly re-designed site, and be impressed at what a website can look like when it's just a blogger template. Special thanks to Andres for linking to me and to Captains in Space.

Also, in non-comedy news, I saw a free concert featuring the Eels (w/ Smoosh) last night, and they were awesome. Aside from the lack of charge, the best thing about the concert was that there was no dicking around-- they started on time, Smoosh played for 20 minutes, there was a 10-15 minute changeover, then the Eels played for an hour and a half. That's the way to do it. Highlights included their "Security Guard" who played maracas, guitar, and organ on a few numbers, in addition to performing elaborate kung fu moves and making cryptic interstitial pronouncements. And they closed with an improbably rockin' cover of Frank Sinatra's "That's Life."

Okay, this turned into a regular "recording the mundane details of my life" blog for a moment there, and I apologize-- but really, if you have a chance to see The Eels, know that they put on an amazing show.

UPDATE:
Tonight's Video Gaga is a Gothamist pick. What more do you want?