The University of South Dakota kicked off Dakota Days Monday night with a free comedy show, which almost filled Slagle Auditorium to its 1,250-person capacity. The Dakota Days Planning Committee and the Campus Activities Board joined forces to bring comedians Graham Elwood and Doug Benson to USD. Junior Brad Omland, the event coordinator for the D-Days Planning Committee and a member of Campus Activities Board, said the show was a success. "Everyone laughed and both the audience and the comedians got free stuff," Omland said. "We had what I would call a sold-out crowd."

Omland said Benson and Elwood were scheduled to perform after the original concert, Mac Miller, fell through. "We had originally wanted to start D-Days with a concert," Omland said. "When that date didn't work for Mac Miller, we decided a comedy show was the next best option."Omland said students packed Slagle Auditorium because the show was free and because the Mac Miller concert pre-sale started after Benson's show.

"They charged us $9,000, and normally they charge $15,000, so we figured we'd let students see them for free," Omland said. "Doug Benson isn't as well-known on college campuses, so we figured students were more likely to come see him if they didn't have to pay to see him."The fact that the show was free was the reason sophomore Elizabeth Green decided to attend, she said. "I like to support events on campus and it was a good, clean way to spend a Monday night," Green said. Sophomore Laine Greblunas said she decided to go see Benson because she had heard he was cool and had seen him on VH1.

"He's hilarious on VH1, so I thought I'd go see him in person," Greblunas said. "He was cool. He was definitely funny, but there were too many stoner jokes for my personal taste."The college humor made the show hilarious, Green said. "I thought it was pretty hilarious," Green said. "There was a lot of inappropriate college humor that made it great."Greblunas said shows like Benson and Elwood are good for USD to bring in. "It brings the students together," Greblunas said. "It's something fun and something that all college students can listen to and somehow relate to."Green agreed these events add to the college experience.

"It's a good way to bring the campus together in a fun way," Green said. During the show, Benson thanked the audience for coming out "since there's a lot of other things to do around here." Sophomore Jenna Bassingthwaite said that joke is the reason USD needs to continue to bring performances like Benson's to campus. "There's not a lot to do around here so we need events to go to that don't involve drinking, especially if we're underage," Bassingthwaite said.

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COMEDIENNE Marlene will be bringing Black Country humour to a night of entertainment with an important message in mind. The popular performer is set to be compere at the bi-annual Voices for Hospices concert on Saturday October 8 at Amblecote Christian Centre, Brettle Lane, Amblecote.

The show will mark World Palliative Care Day and Marlene will be introducing Peter’s Hill School choir and musicians Brian Gregory, Esther Turner, Tom Hill, and Jean O’Donnell with Steven Gill.

Janet Jones, Mary Stevens Hospice head of fundraising, said: “Our Voices for Hospices concerts are always well supported and with the calibre of artistes performing at the Black Country Showtime, this evening promises to be a huge success. “I know the Peter’s Hill choir are really looking forward to the concert and I would like to thank them and all our other performers for supporting Mary Stevens Hospice.”

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As Batswana celebrate 45 years of independence this Friday, neighbourly goodness will be in order as the South African Tourism stages a comedy show.

Set for Gaborone International Convention Centre, this Thursday, comedy show - a collaboration of SA Tourism and 63 entertainment - will be graced by several SA comedians, including Mel Miller the magic man, Tips the comedian and Conrad Cock. They will share the stage with Botswana’s comedy man, Michael ‘Dignash’ Morapedi. Miller and Tips are not new to the Botswana crowd; they entertained at the Miss Botswana pageant on the 1st of July this year.

The comedy night promises to be a fun filled and relaxing way to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. “We want to bring back that whole excitement that comes with independence. We should be thankful to have freedom,” said Bissau Gaobakwe of 63 entertainment.

He revealed that the reason why there are more of South African performers “is because South African Tourism has taken it upon themselves to say to Batswana that, the comments made by the likes of ANC youth president Julius Malema about Batswana are just opinions of individuals and of South Africans as a whole, Batswana and South Africans have close ties and relations with each other and as such should keep at it.”

The comedy show is part two of the independence celebrations hosted by South African Tourism, part one being Zakes Bantwini show which will be held on the 29th of September prior to the comedy show. Musician Zakes Bantwini will be performing with Batswana artists, Vee, Zeus, Juju boy, Scar and many others and as a tribute to the celebrations.  Bissau Gaobakwe of 63 entertainment revealed that those who will be attending the show will get a limited edition CD by the artists. This is a collaboration between Zakes Bantwini and Botswana artists, Zeus, Jujuboy, Appollo and Vee.

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The AWCTheatre troupe is at it again with its annual “Matadors of Comedy” show scheduled to take place this weekend — but this time the group is changing things up a bit. Student director Alex Rico hopes to bring a different style and feel to the show this year with a combination of live comedy and music.

“It's going to be a mixture of a bunch of different types of comedy and music ... we're trying to bring a little twist to an old favorite here at the theater,” Rico explained. “It should be a lot of fun.”The weekend's comedic acts will consist of stand-up, improvisation, short student films and a live skit.

Rico noted that the AWCTheatre group is made up of about 16 performers, mostly all Arizona Western College students with a few additional community members participating. Professor of Theater Chip Straley said that one of his previous theater program graduates, Kristen Smith, was the original mastermind behind the show and decided to implement the “Matadors of Comedy” at AWC.

All credit goes to her, Straley explained. He added that because this event is the kick-off show for the AWCTheatre club every year, it is a great way to draw students into the program.

“We get a lot of new people involved in the theater program after this show. A lot of people may not think they're actors, but they do think that they are class clowns,” Straley said. Rico added, “You don't have to be an actor to be a comedian.”

The performances will take place at the AWCTheatre on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Rico commented an additional performance is planned on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The event is open to the public, but may contain adult language and content not suitable for children.

AWCTheatre does not charge for admission, but asks for a donation of five articles of clean, wearable clothing; five non-perishable food items; or five dollars. The food is donated to the Yuma Community Food Bank, the clothes go to the Crossroad Mission and the money helps produce AWCTheatre events.

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The British rock group will perform and have a sit-down interview with host Stephen Colbert in what will be a first ever one-hour long episode for the Comedy Central political humor talk show. The episode airs September 26th.

Radiohead will perform their brand new track 'The Daily Mail' as well as material from their most recent studio album 'The King of Limbs'. The band is expected to perform four songs, with an additional track being aired for the online edition of 'The Colbert Report'.
 

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Senior Comedy Afternoons is producing a "Swing Into Fall Show" scheduled for Oct. 16 at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and is looking for nominees from the Saddleback and Capistrano valleys for a "Super Senior" to honor at the show. The honoree will be recognized onstage and with a donation to his or her favorite nonprofit. At the August show, the honoree was Dan Bent from the Orange County Council on Aging.

The comedy headliner Oct. 16 will be Vince Harper, giving his perspective on his midlife meltdown. Also appearing will be Barry Hope, Mel Kohl and emcee Joey Sims, who goes by the name "Funny Lady of Laguna Woods."Doors will open at 1 p.m. for lunch, with the show starting at 2. The Coach House is at 33157 Camino Capistrano.

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One of the men who was part of a hostile mob at the Abbotsford Arts Centre during the night of a Punjabi comedy show early this year has been given a year of probation. Chamkaur Sidhu, 37, pleaded guilty to a charge of mischief in Abbotsford Provincial Court on Friday afternoon.

Sidhu smashed the window of the arts centre on the night of March 18. He was part of a crowd that became increasingly unruly as they were told the show was full, that they would not be given admission, and the doors were locked.

His lawyer, Jack Harris, said Sidhu was among the many who had purchased a ticket, but were denied admission. Other patrons showed up earlier, and their children were given seats, even though they had not purchased tickets for them. Those who arrived later with tickets could not get in.

Harris said his client, who was among a large group that was drinking prior to the show, was banging on the door window when the glass shattered. The surging crowd behind him pushed Sidhu into the broken glass. He rolled up his sleeve, showing the court a scar on his arm where the glass cut him.

"I suppose it's a good lesson," remarked Judge W. Young. Sidhu works with his brothers in a flooring business and also does restoration work. "He did not go down there that evening to cause any trouble," noted Harris.

He was granted a conditional discharge on the mischief charge. He will be on probation for 12 months with orders to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, not consume or possess alcohol, and not possess any weapons or firearms.

He came to court with a cheque for $545 to pay the Abbotsford Board of Education for the window. Jasminder Sidhu, 35, was also to appear Friday on charges of causing bodily harm and assault with intent to resist arrest, from the same incident, but his case was put over until Sept. 29.

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Lee Keeler made quite an impression when he lived in Savannah. The Los Angeles-based comedian, writer and producer earned the first Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing in the history of the Savannah College of Art and Design. He also founded a script editing service at SCAD that assisted more than 40 senior and thesis films.

Although Lee left Savannah a year ago, he’s returning for a visit. While in Savannah, he’ll do a stand-up comedy performance on Sept. 17. “I’m crazy excited to get back to Savannah,” Keeler said. “They don’t have anything like Angel’s Barbecue anywhere in Los Angeles.

“Everything’s either too pretentious, expensive or lacking the quality of flavor and experience you get from those guys,” he said. “I’m stoked to see my friends, but Angel’s is top on the itinerary, as well as the hand-breaded chicken biscuits they have at that gourmet Parker’s after midnight.”

While at SCAD, Keeler taught screenwriting for the SCAD Community Education Program. His own scripts have been featured in film festivals around the world, and his shorts have been featured in the Huffington Post, New York magazine online, Slashfilm.com, and on The Cult, the online home of novelist Chuck Palahniuk, author of “Fight Club.”

Keeler also is the cofounder and content editor of Classy Hands, an online laughter magazine, and the producer of “Laff Huffer,” a stand-up, improv and sketch comedy show at the Little Theater in Santa Monica, Calif. He has appeared as a showcase performer at the Laugh Factory Hollywood.

“I’ve got an entirely disgusting stockpile of new material since coming out here and doing shows at the Laugh Factory, the IMPROV, and a lot of thankless open mics,” Keeler said. “It’s gonna be fun to drop some new neurosis and get back to my sweet and filthy roots in Savannah. My former job was as a doorman at a certain prominent Savannah historical hotel while I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, so I might could mash some of those buttons.”

Keeler began writing sketch comedy when he was just 8 years old. He performed with Talking Monkeys, then the official improv troupe of The Ohio State University.

After moving to Savannah, Keeler became a regular at open mic standup night at the Sentient Bean. He also performed at venues such as the Live Wire Music Hall, Club One and the Indigo Arts Center.

“In terms of comedy, when I left the stand-up scene was just getting on its feet,” Keeler said. “We could only get booked at a couple venues when I went to SCAD.

“I’m so proud to come back and see how well guys like Shane Gray, Chris Davison and Phil Keeling are doing,” he said. “I wish I had more time to see how many other talented people are doing shows around Savannah now and pushing each to get better. Unfortunately, I’ve got another comedy show I’m producing and performing in Santa Monica the following Monday so I’ve got to high-tail it back to the West Coast.”

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Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has teamed up with her actress wife Portia de Rossi for a new comedy TV project. The couple has reportedly agreed a deal with NBC to screen a pilot version of the show, which will be written by `Samantha Who?` co-creator Don Todd, that will tell the story of two duelling sisters, with Portia set to play one of the siblings, reported Deadline.

NBC are thought to have beaten off competition from other major TV networks interested in the as-yet untitled comedy, which is set to feature Ellen, Dan and Lauren Corrao as executive producers.

The programme, which has been sold from Ellen and Portia`s A Very Good Production studio-based production company, is set to mark the `Ally McBeal` actress` first TV role since `Better Off Ted` was axed last year. Ellen and Portia tied the knot in 2008 and the couple recently celebrated their third anniversary.

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THE basement of the East Village bar Ella was packed on a recent, simmering Tuesday night. The 90 or so people in attendance stood watching the comedian Tim Heidecker sweat. “Are you guys, um, into basketball?” Mr. Heidecker stammered. “Because I was thinking they should call the Knicks — the New York Heat.”

Almost everyone got the joke — which was, of course, that the joke was bad. The one guy in the audience who loudly disapproved probably hadn’t been to the Tuesday-night comedy show, “Sweet,” before.

“Sweet” belongs to Seth Herzog: downtown stand-up staple, “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” warm-up, comedy world connector extraordinaire.

“He’s the perfect conduit between regular people and celebrities,” the comedian Craig Baldo said. “In his room they all feel normal — which they are.” Zach Galifianakis was here before “The Hangover,” as was Justin Long before “He’s Just Not That Into You.” The same goes for Donald Glover of “Community,” Whitney Cummings of the coming NBC sitcom “Whitney” and Kristen Schaal of “Bob’s Burgers.”

Back at the recent show, Mr. Herzog, 36, who has close-cropped dark hair and a face prone to explosive expression, wore a linen tunic that, he said, “is the shirt worn by a guy who’s dying for you to ask him about his trip to Peru.” He watched Mr. Heidecker’s nervous-comic character act from the shadows. And he looked pleased.

“ ‘Sweet’s’ an experiment,” Mr. Herzog said later. “I love when performers come in with some weird new bit. It’s our lab to do whatever we want.”

The experiment, which doubles as a TV special dry run and an industry hangout for New York lifers and West Coast visitors, kicks off its seventh season this week. Since it has long welcomed on-the-cusp names — the same night Mr. Heidecker performed, the relatively new sensation Ali Wong nailed her set — “Sweet” now counts among its alumni a Who’s Who of comedy royalty.

Case in point: The debut show, on Aug. 4, 2004. The bill included Michael Showalter, co-creator of “The State” on MTV and Demetri Martin, who would go on to “The Daily Show” and Comedy Central dominance. “Paul Rudd did a news spoof thing,” Mr. Herzog said. “Ed Helms told a crazy story about throwing up in Itzhak Perlman’s studio.”

The show’s origins date back a full decade, when Mr. Herzog, who grew up in Princeton, N.J., moved to New York. It was 1994, at what he calls “the exact moment the alt-comedy scene here was born.”

Traditional clubs still reigned, and as a new stand-up he was welcome at them “because I was young, and my friends wanted to go out, so I’d bring 30 people.”

But a shift was under way. Shows with ragged vibes — and without two-drink-minimums — were popping up across the city. Mr. Herzog became a producer on one of them, “The Industry Room,” at the former Freaks Local on 44th Street. While most of the show’s principals, including Josh Weinstein, now a producer (“The Simpsons,” “Futurama”), were tempted away by Hollywood, and the show shut down, Mr. Herzog stayed put, paying the bills with commercials, talk-show comedy gigs and stints as Batman’s sidekick, Robin, at Las Vegas conventions.

Then the owner of the Slipper Room on Orchard Street (“Sweet” played there until moving to Ella last year) asked Mr. Herzog to host some of its burlesque nights just as he was considering starting his own show. (Comedy, that is — not striptease — though, for a laugh, he’s been known to don diapers or embellished briefs.)

They struck a deal, and the kicky, casual “Sweet” was born. After a packed premiere, Mr. Herzog estimated, the average weekly audience that first year hovered around 40. And there didn’t seem to be a comedian who would say no to him. Longtime “Sweet” players fall into two categories: those who imagine they’ve known Mr. Herzog forever, and those who actually have.

“I don’t remember how I met Seth,” the actor Will Forte said. “I can’t remember a time not knowing him.”

The comedian Jim Gaffigan said: “I feel as if I’ve known him for a hundred years. And what drew me to the show was that friendship.”

Mr. Showalter said: “We were third-grade classmates at Littlebrook Elementary. We were both doodlers and fans of John Belushi. We’ve been friends ever since.”

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