Comedy Central

CHICAGO – Stand-up comic Liz Miele is a true comedy veteran, even in her current youth. She began her career at age 16 and has kept up with the evolution of both comedy and reaching an audience, as evidenced by her YouTube specials garnering millions of views. She brings her act to Chicago on October 22nd, 2023 (7:15pm), at the Den Theatre on Milwaukee Avenue. For tickets and info, click LIZ MIELE.

CHICAGO – Stand-up comic Liz Miele is a true comedy veteran, even in her current youth. She began her career at age 16 and has kept up with the evolution of both comedy and reaching an audience, as her previous YouTube specials have millions of views. Her new special, “The Ghost of Academic Future,” will be available on YouTube September 6th, 2022.

CHICAGO – One of the most prominent podcasters of this particular era is Marc Maron, who famously broadcasts his “WTF with Marc Maron” show from his garage. His mix of comedians, politicians and celebrities has brought him notoriety in the crowded field. He is dipping his toe into acting, with a lead in a new film “Sword of Trust.”

CHICAGO – When a real life group of friends keep a thirty year tradition alive, playing a game of “Tag,” there is bound to be a film that shares the same name. Jeff Tomsic makes his director debut with a killer cast… Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress and Jeremy Renner, all still playing that childhood game.

CHICAGO – The awesomeness of history loses any of its stuffiness with the incredibly fun, indeed educational show “Drunk History” from Comedy Central, its two seasons now released on DVD. Hosted by its creator Derek Waters, the show is a celebration of various historic figures and their under-appreciated true tales, as expressed by funny people narrating in the universal language of inebriation; their recounts are then reenacted by famous actors working with their given dialogue, dressed with the comic cheapness of a bloated biopic.

CHICAGO – One the hottest, most creative and “fluffiest” stand-up comics working today is Gabriel Iglesias. The comedian riffs on the circumstances of his own life, as he deals with his adventures in the comedy world. He has put that all together in a new stand-up concert film, appropriately entitled “The Fluffy Movie.”

CHICAGO – “Game of Thrones” is over and you’ve already binged “Orange is the New Black,” what are you supposed to do now? There are a few interesting new programs this season – FX’s “Tyrant” & “The Strain,” HBO’s “The Leftovers,” CBS’s “Extant,” and a few more – but it’s also a great time to catch up what you may have missed with new Blu-ray and DVD releases. There are five TV-to-Blu-ray releases this month that might warrant a look.

CHICAGO – Comedian John Pinette passed away on April 5th, at the age of 50. The rotund jester was named Stand-Up Comedian of the Year at the American Comedy Awards in 1999, and appeared in the films “Duet,” “Dear God” and “The Punisher.” He is probably best remembered as the hapless portly man who gets harassed by the cast of “Seinfeld,” which led to the courtroom sequence of the final episode in 1998.

What to Watch is back in two-week form this time around, hitting the most important Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming offerings from both March 25th and April 1st. No April Fool’s Day jokes here. We’re above that. Sorta. What you will find is one of the best movies of last year, a fantastic comedy series, a foreign film you really should see, and further proof that John Cusack is merely slipping into straight-to-DVD oblivion like that damn horse in “The Neverending Story”. Pick one of the six. What the Hell, pick two.

CHICAGO – 2013 was another great year for Demetri Martin. The dry comedian released a new book, “Point Your Face at This” and co-starred in a well received independent film, “In a World…” Martin made an appearance in Chicago at the Barnes & Noble DePaul Center Loop store in April, and HollywoodChicago.com got the Exclusive Portrait.