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Caloroga Shark Media. Hey there, I’m Johnny Mack with your Daily Comedy News, A daily briefing on stand up comedy comedians in the comedy industry. A sentence the algorithm loves. Deadline wrote about the Netflix is a Joke Festival, and the subheader Who’s selling and Who’s Struggling caught my eye. They point out were less than a month out now from the Netflix as a Joke Festival, which kicks off May fourth.
Deadline quotes one high level comedy insider as saying they’ve been underwhelmed and they don’t feel a lot of buzz yet from the public. Deadline Rights depicting the year is a quote story of the haves and the have nots unquote. They observed that the comedians who seem to be doing the best fall in one of two categories. First, you have white heart artists like The Flight of the Concords. That was one of the shows.
I was considering going out to see the shows I’m interested in at the festival, and I was willing to go as Civilian Day Tuesday, but then not till like Sunday. And you know, eight days in la is not cheap anyway, white hottersts like a flight of the Concords. We’re selling tickets like hotcakes.
And then you have those who are underplaying, who are selling out by jumping …
Any artist not falling into those two categories quote may have a steep hill to climb. The insider says, there’s still a significant number of tickets to be sold in some venues more so than others. There’s a lot of competition in the marketplace, a lot of shows people fighting over the same dollar in a tough economy. I don’t think gas prices are helping people to be able to afford tickets, and people are pulling back a little bit. I didn’t even think about the gas thing.
I mean part of my calculation. I already talk about the time. I don’t trust the airports right now. On any given day, you wake up and the airport’s are fine. You wake up five minutes LA and you’re like, oh yeah, there’s nineteen hour delays.
I mean, the world is so chaotic right now. It’s like, I’ll just stay home and my kid goes to school in California, so believe me, I’d love to go out there. And hang out. But so you know everything considered it it is not easy. Deadline tells us gaging ticket sales a month from showtime varies, but the insider says, but I’d probably feel the most comfortable if I had twenty percent of the house or less to still sell.
Oh, this is cool. I hadn’t read this ahead. One of the high achievers of the moment is friend of the Show John Marco. Siasi has sold out a pair of headlining shows as well as one of his theater adult shows at the Regent Theater. Good for him.
John Marco will also participate in a show called an Emergency Board Meeting Slumber Party alongside Adam McKay and Robbie Hoffman. Jeffer Curry has sold out a couple of headlining shows at the Palladium. Robbie Hoffman sold out too at Largo. Matt Rife sold out too in the main room of the Comedy Store. Jacqueline Novak has added a show May ninth of the Masonic Lodge after selling out her May fifth show.
Joelkomb boosters same thing, adding a May fourth Tubidour show after selling out May eighth at the Allegion. The sources called all that a subgenre of comedy that’s really high right now. They also say podcasts are doing well. So according to Deadline, some of the shows that are sold out. Let’s see John Marco, Jim Jeffries, Mark normand Riife, Eliza Slessinger and Bert and the Show, Jack CrowdWork Show, Natalie Palomides, That’s Cool, Rees Starby Joel Kimbooster, Jeffery Curry, Bamford, Jeff Hillar, Jackie Novak, Maximini, Nurse, John Morgan, Jay and some others there.
We’ll keep an eye on that festival. The Moontower Comedy Festival has kind of sort of kicked off. I’ll do more of my coverage next week. I was looking at the schedule and there’s scattered shows here and there this week, and then you know it’s officially kicked off, but it really doesn’t kick in until the fifteenth. First started fifteen years ago, the Moontower Festival.
I feel like it’s longer than that, because I haven’t been at serious now since when did I leave the beginning kind of of twenty fourteen? Was it? And it’s twelve year all right? Maybe maybe maybe my fifteen years ago fits in that window. First started fifteen years ago, the Moontower Festival has grown into one of the biggest comedy events in the country, spanning a dozen venues and running from April seventh through the eighteenth.
This year features nationally known acts like Mark Marin, Kathy Griffin, and Roy Wood Junior. I keep forgetting Roy I’ve been all into the Artemis mission and I was watching the launch and like, for some reason they went to celebrities, which was straight out of the serious XM playbook, Oh my goodness, anything we ever did there? They’re like, can we ad a celebrity to it? So I’m sitting there and it’s like, all right, the astronauts are on the pad or about to launch, and let’s check in with Roywood Junior. And I’m like, oh, big boss in the corner would have loved that nonsense.
And I’m like, can we just not? I love you Roywood Junior, but I don’t care what you have to say about Artemis. What are we doing? Moon Tower also makes an effort to highlight non traditional acts and Austin comedians like Angelina Martin, who says, I’m super excited. I love moon Tower so much.
It’s always been such a huge part of the Austin comedy scene in the national comedy scene in general. Martin runs several shows around Austin, and one of them, called Slide in the DMS, was added to this year’s lineup. She explains her show, comedians and local celebrities share strange messages they’ve sent to receive, then a cast of improvisers build a scene based on the messages. That’s fun, Martin says. It’s not all really dirty stuff.
Sometimes it’s weird in a different way. One time we had a guy who had set the comedian messages that we were showing on screen. He was in the audience that he stood up and took credit for his weird messages. Love it my former co worker Howard Stern In the news, Howard and Beth Stern’s former personal assistant, Leslie Kuhn, has alleged that she was fired by Howard and Beth Stern and experienced a quote hostile work environment. Now, if you were a younger radio personality, fair being fair, you would go in after Howard after this, because forty year old Howard would have gone after you.
Asked John de Bella, the Philadelphia zookeeper, how that goes. So I’m curious. I don’t know if there are any radio personalities left or who would go after Howard, but boy, there was a time, like if Opie and Anthony were still around, there was a time. Leslie Kuhn says the Stearns presented her with confidentiality and non disclosure agreements before and at the time of her firing. Her attorney claims those are fraudulent and unenforceable.
In the complaint, Kuhn says that the Stearns requested the she moved to Southampton to work at their mansion. According to court documents obtained by Peoplehole magazine, Kuhn claims she was first hired as an office manager for the Howard Stern Show in September of twenty twenty two. Less than two years later, she claims she became Howard’s executive assistant. Then, in May twenty twenty four, she alleges the couple requested that she moved to Southampton to work at their mansion. Kuhn alleges she was instructed by Beth Stern, who’s fifty three, and Howard Stern, who’s seventy two, that Kuhn would offer Beth quote assistance with such things as managing the staff of the mansion, setting staffing schedules, completing staff payroll, and managing general household operations, including Beth’s extensive at home feline rescue and fostering operations.
That all, according to the complaint viewed by people, were then told. In December of twenty twenty five, Kuhn claims that she received a letter from Howard’s production company one twelve, thanking her for her work, confirming she would receive a monetary bonus, and informing her that she would receive a raise in twenty twenty six. More back and forth there. As you can imagine, the tabloids will have fun with this page six as the headline Howard Stern’s bizarre rules for staff revealed in wrongful termination lawsuit. According to the page six, the non disclosure would have banned Koon from disclosing the Stern family’s daily activities and personal habits, even down to their food preferences, sleeping habits, and hobbies.
She would also be barred from discussing their use of consumer products, choice of restaurants, hotels, or other establishments, entertainment preferences, political affiliations, and quote any other matters affecting or relating to the company and its business, and the personal and business affairs of the company page six as. Other off limits subjects include the location or contents of residences and other properties, as well as their travel arrangements. I imagine we’ll hear more about that. Hacks is back today. Gene Smart revealed she was shocked when she learned how Hacks ends.
It is the fifth and final season premiering on HBO. You may recall, at the end of last season, gave up her late night talk show to stand with her head writer and friend Ava Daniels. Geene Smart said, I don’t remember ever picturing or even imagining an ending. I knew there was gonna be pretty much five seasons from the beginning, but I didn’t ask. I was like, I’ll be surprised when I did find out.
At first, I was shocked and unsure about how I felt. It was not remotely anything I could have imagined. But then I realized, now it don’t work out because they’re writing it and they’re amazing, and so I went okay. Lrae Newman’s daughter Hannah Einbinder, spoke of her character Ava and said, I feel like Ava is so committed to realizing Debra’s dream into contributing to all of the various things that she wants to accomplish, whether it’s the first Dan Up Special or the late Night show or the Madison Square Garden. But I do think that through all their trials and tribulations, they share this legacy and it’s a really beautiful collaboration that I feel like they both get to own.
Lrae Newman’s daughter, Hannah Einminder, also is annoyed people who use ai Anna apparently said the people who make this stuff for losers. They’re not artists, they’re not creative, and they’ve wanted their whole lives to be special and they’re not special. They’re trying to rob real creative people of our gifts and you can’t. And even if you’ve tr you will never be cool. You guys suck.
No one likes you, anyone who’s near you is because they crave power and access over any ethical standard. You are a loser. You will never be cool, and you probably had a roly backpack in high school. I want to put your head in the toilet and flush. And an Einbinder is the daughter of Lorae Newman at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Go see Henry yen Henry Show’s mama wants a girlfriend for me. Now, I want you to play along. As you listen to this clip, imagine Mitch Hedburg doing this material. So as you listen to Henry do this funny material, imagine Hebburg doing it. And it’s very easy to imagine.
But I like Henry. Here is Henry yennepy. This is going on TV. I love you, Mama and Papa. Any shoutouts man fair enough the biggest gig of my life.
I thought I’d start off by mucking around. I’m almost a pretty big deal. I’ve got a comedian nickname. People call me the Library because I’ll make it silent. I also feel like moving around.
See if I’m bitter over here. I’m also a bit of a gangster. But it’s hard sometimes because you know, if I’m trying to like hustle someone on the street, Like if I go up to you and I’m like, oh, give me your money, most people are just like, oh, what organization are you with? My name on the street is UNI see, but you know what my name in the sheetsays? The library.
He’s Henry Yann.
Now let’s check out Jenny Tian when Life Gives You Oranges.
I think she’s really good. Listen to this. Wow, you guys are such a lovely audience. You are. I have to say this because like, not all audiences are this kind.
Like I did a show once and someone came up to me afterward and they went, you know, your English is actually quite good. And see, I just found this so condescending because it was my mum. Full on. I’m currently at this stage I’m twenty nine, where I’m realizing that my parents were people before they were parents. Like I asked my mum what she did before having me, and no, lie, she said, she used to be the hedge doctor for Chairman Mao.
And if you don’t know who that is, that is the ex dictator of China. That’s insane. That’s like finding out your parent does it for Vladimir Putin.
And now when I look back on my childhood, it makes so much sense because she …
And I’m not saying that she’s censored me or anything, but I will say my mom is the best mom. She is. That’s a praying mother. Oh, I just blacked out there. But get this in our living room.
She’s even got this giant picture of just herself, a reminder that big mother is watching. And I got to warn my friends about this. Every time they come over. I’m like, look careful, when you walk in, you’re gonna see a giant picture of my mum on the wall. Even with that warning, they see the picture and they go ooh, And I have to say, I know, it’s terrifying.
I told her to keepe her top on. She’s Jenny Tann. At the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Scott Ackerman announced his long running podcast, Comedy Bang Bang, will be touring. It’s the ground Beefing Tour. Now.
I will tell you of all the comedy shows I went to back in the day, going to festivals, hanging around with one of our hosts, Mark says Hi, Mark and I went to a lot of shows. The only show we ever walked out of ever was Scott Ackerman. We were sitting there and we were waiting for each other to say it, and Mark finally looked at me and said, should we go? That’s how bad the show was the only one we ever walked out of. But if you want to go see Scott Ackerman, he’s touring.
He’ll be joined by Paul F. Tompkins, which is cool. The tour kicks off May twenty fifth in Toronto and wraps up in Portland, Maine, on June twenty ninth. Comedy Bang Bang, Scott Ackerman, If that’s something you want to do, and that is today’s Daily Comedy News, I’ll catch you tomorrow.