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.

The Fruitwastersons

I had nothing to do with the production of this video, but it stars Rob Morrison (as the son) and was written by and stars Matt Koff (as the father) who are two of the writer/ performers behind Mr. Whitepants Comedy Hour, the sketch show I'm doing this Sunday at the Magnet Theater.

So think of this as an unofficial promo for the show, if you like. Otherwise, just enjoy the FRUITS of my friend Matt's labor.*



*I don't like myself, either.

Once You Go Bat

Hey, my friend Frank Lesser directed and co-wrote (with one of his Colbert Report writer brethren, Mike Brumm) this comedic short. It stars Ben Rodgers and the lovely Sue Galloway who I was privileged to do a few shows with, back in the day (nowadays you might recognize her as the "girl writer" in the background of all the 30 Rock writers' room scenes).

Frank let me see the rough cut of this ahead of time, and it was fun seeing it come together from the earlier versions to this final one. Anyway, enjoy:

Friend Plug Corner: Valentine's Video Cavalcade

I did a sketch show with a bunch of folks for Halloween, back around... Halloween. Many of the same folks put together a Valentine's Day sketch show that ran this last weekend. I've been busy working on some other things, so I wasn't involved. However, I did go as an audience member and greatly enjoyed myself.

Anyway, I'm posting about this, because nearly the entire show is now up on YouTube, so if you're having a boring Monday, I urge you to watch and enjoy. I recommend Kate and Theodore (2 parts), The Florist, and The Gondola.

Of Haircuts and Music Videos

So I was checking out my site statistics yesterday, and I discovered that one of the searches that led someone to my blog was "how to get paula deen's haircut."














Really? Really?

Also, if yesterday's new episode of Captains in Space wasn't enough for you, check out this video that the captains made a while back for a friend's birthday. I had nothing to do with it, but it gives me a chuckle, so I thought I'd pass it along to you. Because that's what friends do.

They share.

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.

Plugging Friends

I had nothing to do with this short, but it was done by my friend Erik, so you should take a look. It parodies the Zuiikin English "Spare Me My Life" Japanese language video.

Site Milestone

Well, the odometer rolled over past 10,000 visitors today (although most of those hits were probably from either librarians or me). It's a tiny mark of success, I suppose, with the emphasis on tiny-- which in many ways is fine.

The other day I was pondering about how most successful comedians have a persona, and about how I don't have one, which, in turn, is probably why I don't usually think of myself as a comedian as much as a comedy writer (although I perform fairly often). I've settled into my role as the guy in the background, the staff writer (whether it be for the now defunct Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You, or the currently running Primetime Kalan), or the guy who does some guest writing or performing in his friends' shows.

Most of the time this is cool with me. My career goal is to be a TV or screenwriter, not a comedy star, so I'm kind of training for that, with all my current stuff.

Still, just because I'm the support guy, doesn't mean I'm not an egomaniac (I did chose show business-- such as it is-- after all). Sometimes I feel like being in the background causes people to underrate what I'm capable of. Plus, I originally came to NYC to be an actor. I know my way around the stage. I could do more performing, or write stuff for myself to perform, and I'd be good at it.

And yet... I don't know that I have something specific that I, as myself, need to present to the world. No individual comic persona. So I don't end up doing my own thing very often.

Sorry that this hasn't been either (1.) a plug, my stated reason for maintaining this site, or (2.) funny, what I'm theoretically attempting the rest of the time. It's just something that occured to me recently, when I was thinking about blurbs.

Blurbs? Where the hell did that come from? Well, here's what I mean. If I was writing a quote about my former fake boss, Sara Schaefer, I might say something like:

"Her endearingly awkward presence belies a surprisingly sharp wit. A master of daffy self-effacement!"

Not great prose, but you get the picture. Or my current "boss," Elliott Kalan:

"A geek's geek, Kalan spins comic gold from supposedly cult subjects, his likable delivery making them accessible to his whole audience."

Whereas my blurb would be:

"His endearingly self-effacing exterior fails to belie an apologetic interior. His dry delivery makes slightly amusing a series of increasingly baffling references. Pleasantly regressive."

My friend Rob Bates co-wrote an entire sketch show for Rick Murphy, inspired by what he saw as Rick's comic persona. The title? "Rick Murphy is an Asshole."

Here are some suggested titles for my show:

"Dan McCoy May Come Off as Somewhat Cold if You Don't Know Him That Well, But Actually He's Just Sort of Shy."

"Dan McCoy is Politely Nodding After Everything You Say."

"Dan McCoy is Expressing Increasingly-Less-Dignified Befuddlement as the Straight Man in this Sketch."

"Dan McCoy Doesn't Mind a Laugh at His Own Expense, Provided He Helped Script It or is Otherwise Involved."

"Dan McCoy is Vaguely Dissatisfied With Life and Reacts With Mildly Cutting Remarks."

"Dan McCoy, Like Most People in Comedy, Probably Secretly Thinks He's Funnier Than You, but He Also Respects What You've Done, and Suspects He May Be Wrong About The Funnier Than You Thing."

"Dan McCoy Makes an Appropriate Pop Culture Reference, but Not Too Frequently, Because That Would Be Pandering and Lazy."

"Dan McCoy Loves To Dance, If You Get a Few Drinks In Him."

Etc.

The Heat Makes Me Logy

So you may have noticed a slight slow-down in postings here, other than the seemingly endless shilling for the Primetime Kalan (debuting tomorrow!). There are a couple of reasons for that:

1. Comedy slows down in the summer. It seems counterintuitive, but it's far easier to get people to come see your show when they have to wade through ankle-deep slush than when it's nice outside. As much as people may enjoy comedy shows (hint: it's not that much), in the summer they prefer to spend their time burning meat outdoors over an open flame or sitting in an air-conditioned theater watching anthropomorphic cars fall in love (and then... what? Fuck? Does the male's exhaust pipe fit snugly into the female's gas-hole? Do child cars pop out the trunk? Do I regret typing gas-hole? The answer, to the final question at least, is yes).

2. I'm not involved in so many ongoing shows. Many of the shows I used to do (like Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You) have gone to their eternal rest. The stuff I'm doing now is either monthly, like the Primetime Kalan, or it's got a longer lead time, for production reasons, like Captains in Space. Other than that, I've just been doing guest stuff for friends who have been nice enough to ask-- like Andres' Giant Tuesday Night (which is on Summer break) or Sara's Video Gaga. (Speaking of which, Sara put her great music video ode to PowerPoint online. Go check it out.)

3. I'm intentionally taking it a little slower, because I'm working on writing a screenplay. It's my goal to have it done by the end of the year. Unfortunately, I had a significant setback recently-- I had gotten as far as having my synopsis and characters worked out, when I saw a trailer for this movie, due out in August. Grrr. My nascent screenplay had nearly the same premise... or at least close enough that anyone who read it would immediately think of this film. So it's back to square one. Oh well. As my friend Matt said, it's my own fault for naming my screenplay "Untitled Justin Long Project 2006."

Anyway, I apologize for the slow, and/ or repetitious content of late (even though, at the best of times, it's mainly just me shilling my shows). Things may pick up a bit in the fall, but in the meanwhile, take a break from pondering Cars' anatomy once in a while, and come see me live.

"I'm gonna do you tricycle-style."

* * *

UPDATE: Superfan #1, Liz, points out that the correct off-color pun would be "muffler." Kudos to you, Liz. If there was a Whither Laffs t-shirt, it would be in the mail.

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?

Adventures in Tapingsitting: Video Gaga and The Primetime Kalan

So, people often ask me, "What is the glamorous life of a sort-of-kinda-member of the New York comedy world like?" And when confronted with such a wayward, possibly fictional, questioner, I feel the need to set them straight on a few points. My life isn't always a whirlwind of poorly-attended performances in basement theaters, or exciting rejection letters. No, sometimes it's also a long weekend of low-budget video shoots.

Yes, in my never-ending quest to make my weekends more like my weekdays, I spent 12 hours this past weekend shooting some pre-taped bits for two upcoming shows. On Saturday I was out in Bay Ridge taping three segments for the first "Primetime Kalan," and on Sunday I was in various locations around Park Slope helping on a segment for "Video Gaga."

Let's focus on Video Gaga first, since it's the first show on the calendar. It's hosted by Sara Schaefer, whom you may remember from the hit fake talk show Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You, for which I used to write (although you'd never guess I'm a writer after reading that convoluted last sentence. Geez). So this will be a minor reunion of sorts.

Her new show is at The Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, the 800-pound gorilla of NYC underground comedy. What is it about? In the words of VG's official description, "Sara Schaefer counts down funny music videos for you! With a live musical act, sketches, special guests, glittery dance numbers, and moxie to boot."

And from Sara's site, additional information specific to this installment: "Musical guest: Erin McKeown. Ahem. AMAZING. Featuring music videos by Adira Amram, The Fresh, Dave Thunder, and two from the Video Gaga camp! Did I mention that three of these will be world premieres? Oh boy oh boy oh boy! And more! Meet the Gaga Girls. Bask in the warmth of the glowing Video Gaga sign. And yes, there will be another fun surprise at the beginning (and end) of the show."

Where do I come in? Well, I have a featured role in one of the music videos. I can't say much about the specifics, but I can say this-- it involves 80 hot dogs.

Video Gaga is this Wednesday the 14th, at 9:30 PM, and costs $5 (reserve tickets at Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre or buy at the door) 307 W. 26th Street, btw 8th & 9th. Closest subway stop is the C or E at 23rd (the 1,9 23rd St. stop is pretty close too).

As for the Primetime Kalan, it's the latest incarnation of Elliott Kalan(of the sketch group The Hypocrites, and an Associate Producer on The Daily Show)'s talk show/ variety program, which started out at midnight under the name The Midnight Kalan, moved to 10 PM and changed its title to The New Kalan Show, and is now moving once again, to an even earlier slot. We expect The Breakfast Kalan to debut sometime in January.

Meanwhile, though, the next show will be our first at our new location, Jimmy's No. 43, a bar not far from the old place. Finally, the show will start on time, there will be beer on tap, and you'll be able to go to the restroom without walking across the stage. What's more, we think you'll find our new time slot (Saturday at 8:30) more amenable than our old (Thursday at 10).

We'll be kicking off the new run with a theme show devoted to Superman, in honor of the Man of Steel's unexpected return to Metropolis. While Bryan Singer's all well and good, the rest of the Kalan gang and I shot a few of our own scripts, documenting some of his lesser-known adventures, and we'll be sprinkling them throughout the next show.

The Primetime Kalan is June 24 at 8:30 PM at Jimmy's No. 43, located downstairs at 43 East 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. By Subway: Take the 6 to Astor Place/ Take the R/W to 8th Street/ Take the F train to 2nd Avenue. The cost is $5.

So I hope that answers your nonexistant questions about my lifestyle, but more importantly, I hope you come to a show.

Oh, and I want to give a non-comedy-world shout-out to my good friend, the ever-lovely Fuse#8, who was on NPR's Weekend Edition this Sunday discussing summer reading, and, more specifically, children's literature. Give it a listen, won't you?

Captains in Space, "The Theatrical Version"

Hey, are you a fan of watching things that are meant to be seen on a very small screen blown up to several times their intended size, with all the loss in resolution that entails?

Who isn't?! But it's such a pain to set up your projection TV to play on an IMAX screen. Not to mention the cost and labor of building an IMAX screen. So, instead, why don't you come see the first theatrical showing of our video podcast, as part of May's "Big Bang" at the Manhattan Comedy Collective.

Yes, that's right-- we'll be screening a rotating program of two of our Captains in Space shorts, every Thursday in May, at 7:15 PM, at The Gene Frankel Theater Underground at 24 Bond Street (East 2nd St.) in the East Village. It's on the north side of Bond Street, between Bowery & Lafayette, in the basement theater, where the 8 x 10 foot screen is sure to be kind to our non-professional blue-screen effects!

Unless I've been misguided, the ticket price is $7, but if you pay for one show, you're entitled to stay for the whole night of shows. And the entry fee includes one drink ticket. Not too shabby.

And here's a bonus, on at least the 4th and 11th of May (and possibly on the 18th and 24th, too), the shorts will be introduced by Captain Fed himself (Federico Hatoum) as well as Captains writer Dan McCoy (me). So come on, nerds-- this is time for you to get all your Captains in Space merchandise signed, or confront us about episode three, in which the captains yell so hard that the echoes travel through space, even though deep space is soundless.

In other news, if you haven't seen this video, by Giant Tuesday Night host Andres du Bouchet, you should check it out. I had absolutely nothing to do with it, but I think it's funny, and thus am pointing you that way. If you look close, you can see a cameo by Ritch Duncan, my old editor at Jest Magazine. He's a hell of a thespian, that one.

Oh, and keep the 18th at 10 PM open. I can't tell you why, yet. Just save the date. And, while you're at it, go get me a sandwich.

Quick Update

The release of Captains in Space episode three has been slightly delayed, due to some effects tweaking, but it should be available for download tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you want an Internet comedy video fix, may I direct you over to Rob Bates' blog, where you can find a link to the very funny short "Asshole Actor." I had nothing to do with its production, I just post it here because I've worked with all the folks involved, and I like them and it.

Have a nice Friday. But try and cut down on your drinking, huh? I'm worried about you.

This Tuesday Just Seems... Giant-er Than Usual

Yes, this makes three plugs for one show, but I just wanted to remind you that tonight's GTN features a couple of bits written by me. So stop by, if you can:

Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game
Tuesday the 25th of April, at 8:00 pm
at Rififi/ Cinema Classics
332 East 11th Street
between 1st and 2nd Avenues
Free (w/ a one drink minimum)

I won't be appearing in the show as a performer, just enjoying my own words (and those of the usual, terrific GTN crew) from the comfort of the audience. So if you like my writing, but hate my stupid face, this is the show for you!

And if you like the show, stick around and chat afterwards-- and buy me a drink, whydoncha? I don't get paid for this nonsense.

As always, thanks to Andres and the others for letting me contribute a little something to their great show. There's a new one every Tuesday, and hilarity always abounds. So if you're dropping by to see my little bit, and you like what you see, you should return when I'm not involved. Chances are, it'll be even funnier.

Oh, and on the off chance that Jason Jones spends his off hours idly Googling himself, I'd just like to thank him again for coming by to the New Kalan Show last Thursday-- he couldn't have been nicer, and was dedicated to making the show as funny as could be by tossing in extra contributions wherever appropriate, and basically making us look as good as possible. So thanks.

Captains in Space Episode Two Online

The second episode of Captains in Space is now available online. So run and get it. You can view it via YouTube, if you like, but the quicktime version is better. Even better still? If you have a video iPod, you can subscribe to it as a podcast (which you should, because it looks sharpest on the iPod screen. I don't have a video iPod personally, but my better-heeled friends have let me use theirs, and it looks really nice).

Also, as Captain Fed says, "Please encourage your friends to subscribe to Captains via iTunes. The more people we get to do that (and leave reviews), the more likely the iTunes folks will feature the show. Once we get featured, that will increase the audience dramatically. I know we're more interesting than "Yogamazing", which is on the first page of featured video podcasts." Don't you want us to acheive Internet fame? It's the worst kind of fame there is! (Well, other than infamy.)

The latest episode, Advice, guest-stars our friends Rick Murphy and Lindsay Joy, and if you like them here, you should check them out in the live show "Rick Murphy is an Asshole," which will play as part of The Manhattan Comedy Collective's "Big Bang," every Thursday night in April at 8:00 PM, which was written by Rob Bates and Laura Buchholz, two fine humans, indeed. Yes, it's not all self-promotion here at Whither Laffs. Sometimes it's friends-of-self promotion too.














And, speaking of The Manhattan Comedy Collective (or MC2, as the cool kids say), Captains in Space will be playing as a video short during May's Big Bang shows. So, if you don't like watching things alone, on a tiny screen, you can come out and watch Captains in Space in a crowd, on a big screen, at the accompanying lower resolution. Yay! More MC2 information to come, as May draws nearer.

There will be a slightly longer lag between this episode and episode three, because our co-creator/director/editor/control freak Fed will be on a Latin American vacation (adios!) the first week of April, but once he's back, you can start eagerly anticipating your next Captains fix.

As always, thanks for caring about any of this nonsense.

Congratulations

Just want to give a brief shout-out to friend and former manager of the gone-but-not-forgotten Juvie Hall, Erik Marcisak, who stars in a film that just made it into the Austin Film Festival. Good work, man.

Captains in Space Update and a Deranged Andy Rooneyesque Harangue

The Captains in Space website has been updated with a little more production information, and a great still of the cast (by the way, our thanks to The Apiary for making note of us last week). Check it out. The shoot was fun, despite the record-breaking snowfall, and Fed's already put together a nearly complete title sequence that looks mighty impressive, despite our budget of a dime, a thumbtack, and three dried pinto beans. This weekend I'll be recording some voice-over, announcer-y stuff, so you can look forward to my melifluous voice when the first episode hits in early March. It's all coming together, people. Start printing up those bootleg t-shirts.

Also, as it's Friday, may I remind NYC readers to pick up a copy of Metro for my friend Elliot Kalan's weekly column. It will brighten your otherwise miserable commute-- perhaps the only laughs you'll have on the subway that aren't nervous ones, as you try to avoid eye contact with the greasy guy fumbling around in his pants. I've also discovered that you can read it online here. So many ways to waste time at work...

But please, if you're reading the paper version, don't let your eyes drift down and to the right, or you might accidentally read The Metro Cartoon: It's All About You, (what a godawful, ungainly title). Is The Metro Cartoon: It's All About You the least funny comic strip in the world? (Comic strip. Comic strip, people! Multi-panel comics are strips. Cartoons are single panel, or they star Bugs Bunny. And, yeah, I realize this is a geeky thing to get annoyed about.) The answer is: not quite. But that's only because B.C.'s Johnny Hart became a born-again Christian.

Speaking of which: I'm sure thousands of people have made this observation before, but how is it that all these cavemen are Christians? It's right there in the title! B.C. Before Christ! It's like a comic about a bunch of Elizabethans standing around discussing how much they love George Washington...unless this is some sort of sci/ fi, alternate universe, where there was a Caveman Christ.

Caveman Christ. Now there's a comic I could get behind. Get on it, Metro!

If You're Bored of Me

It's not personal news, but I wanted to give a couple of plugs to some certified F.O.D.'s.

First off, if you're in NYC, you should pick up a copy of Metro, one of the many free dailies that accompany bored subway riders on their daily commutes. Why? (Other than the thrilling expose on how men want to sleep with Jessica Alba?) Because Elliot Kalan, associate producer on The Daily Show and host of The New Kalan Show (formerly "The Midnight Kalan," on which I had the pleasure of appearing, for the "Night of Stallone" show) is now contributing a weekly column. And today is the kick-off piece. According to insider sources (read: Elliott), the column should appear every Friday hereafter. So rejoice, commuters! Three minutes of your day just got a lot more interesting!

Also: what has Sara Schaefer been doing, since the shuttering of Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You? She's been doing some solo performances around the city (the SSIOWY staff got together for a mini-reunion to enjoy her act at Variety Underground a couple of weeks ago). I'd like to highlight one particular performance: her upcoming appearance at The Rejection Show.

The Rejection Show
February 7th @ 8:30PM, $10
Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction
34 Avenue A (2nd and 3rd St.)
Tickets available in advance via Ticketweb.com or call or visit the Mo Pitkin's box office at (212) 777-5660
F or V to Second Ave.
Other people presenting rejections: Michael Showalter (Stella, The State, The Baxter), Peter Hyman (The Reluctant Metrosexual, Spin Magazine), and New Yorker Cartoonists!

Sara will be presenting a rejected Channel 102 pilot, which, as a bonus for the Whither Laffs reader, features about 30 seconds of me. See the music video where I took an ostensibly comedic pratfall, the scar from which I can still see on my shoulder.

Hooray for friends. Woo woo.

Congratulations, Amanda!

I was keeping this under my hat for a while, until I was completely sure it was okay to say something, but since The Apiary has reported on it, I suppose there's no reason not to go ahead and post this:

Huge congratulations are in order for Amanda Melson, my friend and fellow Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You writer, who recently landed an honest-to-goodness job writing comedy for television. She's working on Greg Giraldo's Friday night evening of stand-up, on Comedy Central, which you can see starting this Friday at 8:30 PM. Just last week she got to live out the comedian's dream of dropping her day job for a dream job, and they've already put her to work spinning comedy gold.

Instead of the bitter gnashing of teeth that traditionally comes with a peer's success, I feel only great joy regarding Amanda's new position. Why? (You may well ask.) Because Amanda's the bees knees, foolish blog-reader! She's funny and quick with a brilliant comedic suggestion, but never precious about her own stuff, and she's one of the kindest people I know. She's paid her dues, people! She deserves every success. I simply cannot say enough good things.

So congratulations, Amanda. We're proud of you.

(And everyone who's not Amanda-- come on down to SSIOWY this Saturday at 8 to see Amanda in action, before she becomes too big to ever talk to us again.)

Recommendation

If you have some time to kill, I suggest you check out George Bush's Prayer For Relief over at Radar Magazine online. It's written by official Friend of Dan and Whither Laffs-link-list-member Frank Lesser who wrote what, for my money, is one of the funniest things Jest Magazine ever published, Letter From a Historically Black Clown College.