Tonight: a boozy talk at Book Larder, an Apple fanboy's cinematic wet-dream, and a load of laffs you won't be able to resist. Hooray for hump day! more ›

Among snobs, improvisation generally occupies the lowest rung of the ladder, derided as being inconsequential, frivolous and awaiting a serious hand. Despite that, it is important to remove improvisation from the ghetto where it resides and discuss it as a vital piece of contemporary theatrical practice. more ›

IAMDONALD was a mixture of rap, comedy, and pretend live interaction video. With guest "appearances" from both James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and local gone NYC Reggie Watts. Honestly, it was just a hell of a lot of fun. The only complaint is the music portion of the evening far outweighed the comedy portion and we would have liked it to be a little less lopsided. Having not been a fan of his music when arriving, we tried to hold judgment. What we heard had a great beat with a full band backing him and some fun and funny lyrics peppered in as well. It's definitely enough to pique our interest and grab a song or two from iTunes at the least. We will say this, he's a charmer no matter what he's doing on stage. more ›

Good clean comedy with Katie Morgan. more ›

We noticed that cynical funnyman Patton Oswald is scheduled to perform at the Moore next month--not that you'd know it. The publicity is so scarce, there's still a lot we don't know about this upcoming performance. Let's figure it out together. more ›

He warned that we might not like him. Fortunately, he was wrong. more ›

Michael Showalter has had an interesting career. You'll probably recognize his name from a variety of places, and he has probably made you laugh. He was the mastermind behind the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer (if you haven't seen this yet, watch it right now!); he is part of the comedy group STELLA with Michael Ian Black and David Wain; he co-created the TV series Michael and Michael Have Issues (with his oft collaborator Michael Ian Black); and he wrote, directed, and starred in 2005's The Baxter. And this triple threat (well, a bit more than just triple) recently has added published author to his resume with his comic memoir "Mr. Funny Pants". So, you know, he has kind of done it all. more ›

LAUGH LOVERS BALL: Seeing a comedy show on Valentine's Day at first seemed a little campy. Although, I guess anything on Valentine's day just seems kind of campy. But guess what? It's MARIA BAMFORD! She's with a bunch of people we don't really know, but that's okay. If your valentine doesn't think she rules, you need a new valentine. more ›

Imagine if you will, a tiny stage located in the back of a normal, everyday Hawaiian restaurant, and that this particular Hawaiian restaurant is owned by Yuji Okumoto, who played the villain in Karate Kid Part II (He has his own action figure!) and that on the second Thursday of every month this spot hosts an incredible must-see open mic featuring up and coming standup comics sometimes telling great jokes. more ›

As we do every year, this Seattlest has gone through the year's schedule and made the hard choices. We've selected the can't-miss acts and have made a point to provide options if you aren't able to see your first choice. Though we've heard about some changes that are designed to make comedy and theatre lines more bearable, we still recommend setting aside enough time to stand in line and encourage you not to be too heartbroken if things don't pan out exactly how you'd planned. With Bumbershoot a mere 24 hours away, we give you our official schedule followed by five can't miss acts. Do yourself a favor and bookmark this post to reference while at the Center or print it off today, while you still have access to the office printer. (Schedule and can't miss sets after the jump) more ›

Tomorrow, Hari Kondabolu, one of the funniest people to call Seattle home, joins fellow comedians W. Kamau Bell and Nato Green at the Balagan Theatre for Laughter Against the Machine. We expect biting social commentary, observational comedy that makes us a bit uncomfortable being Caucasian, and a general sense of flinging lies back into the face of power. more ›

Totally exciting news: Conan O'Brien is going on tour. He's bringing his Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour Seattle to Seattle. The tour's includes music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence -- all the elements that made Late Night with Conan O'Brien a consistent joy. He'll be at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle Center on April 18. It was a real bummer to see the comic genius of Conan get bumped off the air by Jay Leno's meaty, unfunny fist. But if it means we'll get to see him perform live, well, we guess we can live with it. more ›

From politics to parenting to her preternatural dread of sex, Poundstone riffed relentlessly, moving from topic to topic with ease and keeping the audience in stitches. Poundstone was not only hilarious but resourceful. From her cell phone and soda to her sign language interpreters, everything in sight was fodder for another bit a reminder of another story or gag. One has to pity the folks in the expensive seats, not least the Harvard educated neurosurgeon who probably didn’t expect to be the butt of much of the last half hour of jokes or the ASL interpreters who found themselves at Poundstone’s mercy, subjected to translating the sound of a cat vomiting at her whim. But for the rest of us, it just made for one hell of a night of funny stand-up. more ›

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. more ›

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! more ›

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. more ›

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: more ›

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). more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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 more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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 more ›

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. more ›

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: more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›