Results tagged “comedy”

OCEAN JUNK: Saturday Curtis Ebbesmeyer reads from his new book Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science at the Central Library. Ebbesmeyer is a very smart guy studying a very disturbing and very new topic: ocean-borne trash. If anyone can figure out where those severed feet that washed up around Puget Sound came from, it’s him. A must for anyone concerned about the state of the oceans.

Everyone seemed eager to determine just how this was going to go down. A live performance of a 23 minute television episode--how could that stretch to a justifiable $30 ($950 with convenience charges) ticket? Projector time! A clip from their new Christmas DVD was shown, chockful of petty arguing and--thanks to the lack of TV censors--an F-bomb and a not insignificant amount of blood. Merriment, indeed!

ONE WORLD, TWELVE FINALISTS: Central Cinema will be featuring some of the twelve best short films submitted to the 2009 Manhattan Shorts Festival tonight--the first night of the three-day event. Manhattan's goal is to show the finalists in venues on every continent, uniting audiences around the world, for this one week only. We must admit that they have a point when they ask, "For up-and-coming filmmakers, what greater test for your film is there than to be judged in cinemas by a global audience?" So go join in on the judging fun, and let your inner-critic shine.

You may know Seattle comedian Hari Kondabolu from his national performances, his appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, or his role in All About Steve. Here, Hari makes a case for approving Referendum R-71, which would preserve domestic partnership rights in Washington:

Slideshows are awesome. Remember in the TV series The Wonder Years, when Ben Stein plays Kevin Arnold’s slideshow-happy, monotone 7th grade science teacher? The World of Jewtopia is kinda like that— in all its slideshow multimedia glory (plus funny Jews, minus the droning teacher).

Fresh on the heels of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia live, today Seattle Theatre Group announced that Steve Martin will be coming to Benaroya Hall November 3. He'll be performing "an evening of bluegrass and banjo" with his backing band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. That sounds funny, right? Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. and will set you back $55-75, plus Ticketmaster fees. Not so funny, Steve.

Back in 1986, Lily Tomlin won a Tony Award appearing in Jane Wagner's solo show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, which was a (mostly) comedic double-take on having lived through the consciousness-raising '70s. Now Balagan Theatre is reviving the show (through August 29; Thurs-Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m.; tickets: $15 online, $20 at the door), with the gifted Terri Weagant as your cracked guide to a cracked universe.

We've never watched much of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but a lot of people we consider funny like the FX show, so it must be good, right? That's called logic, children. In anticipation of its 5th (!) season, IASiP cast members are doin' it live: The Nightman Cometh, "a live stage adaptation of a fan favorite episode from season four in which Charlie writes a rock opera to woo his longtime obsession, The Waitress." Perhaps you know what any of that means, and if so, you will be excited for the full cast's performance at the Moore Tuesday September 22. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. via LiveNation, Tickets.com, and the Paramount/Moore kiosks.

PIZZA, COMEDY, AND KIDDOS: This month's Pagliacci comedy night is headlined by Derek Sheen, known for his heavy metal, pop culture, sci-fi, and comic book humor. Hellooooo, nerds! While usual host PRoK's Emmett Montgomery is enjoying his honeymoon, Paul Merrill takes over MC duties, and joining Paul on stage are his two sons Charlie (3) and James (9). Because nothing says comedy like some dude's kids. 8 p.m. // Broadway Pagliacci Pizza // 426 Broadway Ave E // free

Hitch up your Gumby trousers and polish those silly walks, as John Cleese is coming to town. Best known for his work in Monty Python [adjusts glasses] Cleese also co-wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers, which is the funniest sitcom ever. The ticket presale for his November 3 show at the Moore begins tomorrow at 10 am. This will be the ticket link--the promo code is "dance". Tickets are $45-55.

Last month, The Pixies announced a tour celebrating the 20th (!) anniversary of still-awesome album Doolittle. Today, they announced the North American cities on said fall tour, and Seattle made the cut. No date or venue mentioned yet, to which we say: please two nights at the (real) Showbox or the Paramount. We love you, Pixies, and we lurrrrrve that album, but not enough to see you at the SoDo or Key Arena.

ONE SINGULAR SENSATION: James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's award-winning documentary Every Little Step is finally in Seattle, and we think musical and film lovers alike will get a kick out of this new hit. The film follows the legacy of A Chorus Line, through four decades of amazing actors, behind-the-scenes dramas, and variations on the international musical favorite. Every Little Step is also the first documentary in Broadway history to be allowed filming privileges throughout the extensive audition process for last year's recent revival, showing anything and everything that is A Chorus Line. (4:15), 7:15, 9:35 p.m. // Harvard Exit, 807 East Roy // Tickets: $7-9.50

LOSE YOUR AIR VIRGINITY: A first for Seattle, tonight you can get pointers (or even perform) at the Air Sex Championships. Yes, you read that correctly. Think Air Guitar sans the guitar solo, but instead swapping it with two minutes of sexy, saucy, or pure naaasty love-making moves with an imaginary sex partner. All to love-makin' tunes sure to put the audience at El Corazon in the mood. And just so you don't start flashing dollar bills, there is no nakedness at this dry humping festival, however creative costumes are encouraged.

Another big chunk of Bumbershoot acts were announced last night. Apparently, we'll have the full festival line-up by mid-July, but for now we'll have to make due with the list of newest additions:

UK comedy Morris: A Life with Bells On has its last screening tonight at 7 p.m. at SIFF Cinema. Writer, producer, and actor Charles Thomas Oldham will be at the screening, along with all the local Morris dance fans you can shake a staff at. The event should produce a unique Venn diagram overlap of fans of PBS Britcoms and Christopher Guest mockumentaries.

Terrific. Goddamn terrific, that's what. Intiman's A Thousand Clowns (through June 17, tickets: $40-$55, $10 for 25-and-under) is like if Holden Caulfield grew up, got a job writing for a kids' TV show, and then suddenly quit, desperately angry about having become a "phony." On the one hand, it's as time- and place-stamped as can be--there's the hilarity of dialing the weather lady on the phone, and an impromptu "Guess that New York borough accent" contest--but on the other, these people are such characters, the play sucks you right in. We had no idea three hours had passed at its close.

So you still haven't seen Anvil: The Story of Anvil yet, huh? Well, lucky for you, it's around for at least the next few days, so you've got some time to go and see one of the most entertaining documentaries Seattlest has seen recently. If you've been holding off (or have been unaware), we hope you take the opportunity to catch Anvil before it finally leaves Seattle theaters.