Jo Koy’s “Don’t Make Him Angry” by Edwin Macaraeg (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

November 6, 2011, Jo Koy returns to deliver one of the most exciting comedy shows at the William Saroyan Theatre. This new and acclaimed comedian can be on shows “Chelsey Lately” and “Comedy Central”. Born in Washington and living in Las Vegas, Jo Koy proclaims that much of his comedic material is unearthed by living in an American home and a Filipino mother. With early influences such as Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, Jo Koy has come a long way of small time comedy shows in Las Vegas bars to nation-wide spotlights on prime time television.

Born of an American mother and Filipino mother, Jo Koy is very excited to share hilarious stories of his upbringing. He often introduces his mother through his monologue by saying “Josep!” which is the way his mother says his real name, “Joseph”. One of his most popular skits includes a story of Jo Koy competing with his mother on the Nintendo Wii.

Aside from his Filipino humor, Jo Koy brings up topics about being a man and sexuality, making fun of different social issues, celebrity impersonations, and about being a father. Needless to say, Jo Koy has a wide range of comedic material to entertain a huge and diverse audience.

We at APR ask some members of the audience, which part of this show did they enjoy most?
Ritchie Rosario of Clovis describes the show as, “…having so many good parts. I would tell you my favorite part, but there are so many. If I can choose, it would be about him talking about his Mom, making fun of people in Fresno, and the end-part where he starts singing his favorite R&B music.”
Ryan Valdeabella of Lemoore says that his favorite parts would be of him being a YMCA dancer and singing 90’s music.

Jetson Andres of Fresno explains, “My favorite parts of the show, would be the jokes about a chick with floppy breasts, Snooki glasses, and dancing to YMCA. “

Melvin Macaraeg of Clovis describes his favorite parts of the show, “It was funny hearing him make fun of Fresno people. It was also hilarious how he made fun of the people who wanted a free shirt. The part with Jo Koy making fun of the DJ was so good too!”

A night with Jo Koy would not seem complete without his music. Members of the audience were able to relax from their laughter, as Jo Koy started bringing up and singing some of his most memoriable “slow jams”. As one of the most anticipated up and coming comedians of this time, audience members around the nation are enjoying the insightfully hysterical ways of Jo Koy.

Whitney Cummings: Money Shot – Live and Uncensored (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Brutally honest comedy from one of the top comediennes in America.  Whitney Cummings is fearless!  Call it brutally honest comedy, but it’s what makes her the hottest comedian in America right now.  “Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” is absolutely hilarious as Whitney touches upon the differences of men and women in relationships, sex, dating and more! A comedy DVD definitely worth watching!

Images courtesy of ©2010 New Wave Entertainment. All rights reserved.

DVD TITLE: Whitney Cummings: Money Shot – Live and Uncensored

DURATION: 48 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Widescreen (1:78:1), Dolby Digital Stereo

COMPANY: Image Entertainment

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2011

Directed by John Fortenberry

Executive Producer: Whitney Cummings, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss

Produced by Jay Chapman

Production Designer: James Kronzer

Lighting Designer: Chris Lee

Edited by Brenda Carlson

Starring:

Whitney Cummings

A frequent regular on “Chelsea Lately” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” stand-up sensation Whitney Cummings makes her DVD debut with the April 12^th release Money Shot, from her highly rated and acclaimed Comedy Central special. The network has also nominated the show for “Best Stand-Up Special” at this year’s Comedy Central Awards. Released by Image Entertainment, Money Shot has an SRP of $14.98, with pre-book on March 15^th. In addition, the title is available via digital download.

This performance finds Whitney hilariously riffing on a wide range of topics, chiefly the differences between men and women and how both tend to behave in relationships. She’s a cutting-edge “guy’s girl” who surrenders none of her femininity in order to be accepted by the male half, and in the process, she’s just as honest and critical of women as she is of men. Cummings has masterfully found an approach to her material that’s unique, compelling and groundbreaking.

Whitney Cummings is a frequent regular on “Chelsea Lately” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” but my first introduction to Whitney Cummings was on the roasting of David Hasselhoff (for Comedy Central) and she unleashed on actress Pamela Anderson including Hulk Hogan.  And those two looked as if they were going to get up on their seat and literally kick her ass.

From that moment, I became a fan of Whitney Cummings fan.

And If you thought Denis Leary, the late Greg Giraldo were known for their no-holds barred comedy, Whitney Cummings has the talent, she’s very smart, has a major potty mouth and more balls than many male comedians that I have seen and she’s no stranger to making people’s jaws drop and when she is on fire, the woman is literally on one hell of a rhythm of delivering scathing yet hilarious comedy.  She’s absolutely fearless!

And she continued again with the Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers and Donald Trump, recently she joined Denis Leary for “Douchebags  & Donuts” to benefit charity and now Whitney Cummings is releasing her first DVD titled “Money Shot – Live and Uncensored”.

In “Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” takes on women and men, relationships, dating and more.  Here is the tracklist of the topics Whitney Cummings touches upon during her comedy performance:

1. Intro/Cosmopolitan Magazine
2. I’m Not a Sexy Person
3. Fighting with a Woman (Just Don’t)
4. Relationships Make Us Crazy
5. Cheap Guys
6. Fantasy Land
7. Dating Someone New
8. Marriage and Babies
9. Twilight
10. Guys and Sports
11. Porn
12. Romantic Comedies
13. Thongs
14. Fuck Me Heels
15. Construction Workers

 

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” is presented in widescreen 1:78:1, Dolby Digital Stereo.  Picture quality for the DVD is good, actual set design is pretty nice with red and blue lanterns hanging above and the lighting on Cummings is nice and bright.  Camera angles are close-up, full-body and  a few above the audience and behind.  Editing is well-done and not dizzying and for the most part, well-done.

The Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack is good, clear and front-channel driven.  What I enjoyed about the audience soundtrack and this probably something I noticed different from other comedy DVD’s is that the women respond to some of the jokes as they know what Whitney Cummings is talking about.  For example, when Cummings discusses the things that men make their women do (things they see from porn) such as choking and hearing the women respond with a gasp is so hilarious!

Overall PQ and AQ are well done!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on the “Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” DVD.

I have been waiting for a Whitney Cummings DVD for quite awhile now.  She is the hottest comedian right now that is just surprising everyone with her style, her fearless delivery but you put her on a show for a segment, and not only do you expect this intelligent and beautiful woman to bring it, she’s going to bring it and could care less of what people think.   Even Comedy Central has cut off several of her lines for a roast because they are afraid that her lines may be a bit too provocative.

And I know there will be comparisons to Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler and Kathy Griffin but because Whitney Cummings is starting to get known by the masses who have never seen her or heard of before, they see this beautiful woman go on stage and are  not prepared to see her unleash this style comedy that will make people blush.

In “Money Shot”, Whitney is delivering her comedy on topics that revolve around the differences of men and women.  Relationships, dating, sex and you can’t wait to hear what she has to say because most of it is true, she’s just putting it out there. From jokes about guys who jerk off on sex tapes, the difference between guys and women who watch their sex tapes many years later, sexting, guys who try to take what they learned from porn and bring it into their sexual routine, to her description of how ugly are men’s balls, the power of the silent treatment and more!

Call it brutally honest comedy but her delivery is unforgiving, relentless and high-profile and celebrities should be very lucky that she has not started to incorporate them in her routines just yet because this fearless comedienne will tear them in half.

And if you’re a guy, if you are in the front row, prepare yourself because you can be a target of one of her jokes and she may rip you in half.

But “Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” is a wonderful stand-up performance from Whitney Cummings and although I find it more fun to see her rip celebrities in half (you have to watch the Comedy Central Roasts on DVD if you have the chance), the topics that she riffs on in this performance was hilarious and well-done.  Not to say that she seemed restrained in “Money Shot” but we know from watching her on the Roasts or the Chelsea Handler show, if given the position to rip a celebrity or high-profile person in half, she will.

So, I really look forward to seeing how her comedy continues to develop over time because she has the potential to be huge!  I won’t be surprised if we see her getting her own TV show or start seeing her in film because there is star potential in Whitney Cummings and right now, she has become my favorite comedienne!

As for the DVD, picture quality and audio quality is fine.  The only problem that I have with this DVD is the fact there are no special features.  Most comedy DVD’s have them, but there is nothing on this one.

Overall, “Whitney Cummings: Money Shot – Live and Uncensored” is still a hilarious DVD and the fact that it is sold for under $10 is a plus.    But if you are looking for a comedy DVD, especially women who are looking for a comedy DVD to make their boyfriend or husbands squirm, definitely give “Money Shot” a try!

Whitney Cummings is one of the hottest, brightest, foul-mouthed, fierce comedienne’s in America right now and I truly believe we are going to see a lot of her in the near future!

 

Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

For fans of the show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” will truly enjoy “Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy”.  It’s easy to get into and will no doubt make you laugh hard!  It’s one of the few comedy DVD’s I have watched and enjoyed from beginning to end. Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of ©2010 Mills Presents, LLC. 2011 Image Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved

DVD TITLE: Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy

DURATION: 67 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1 aspect ratio), Enhanced for 16×9 TV’s, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

COMPANY: Image Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2011

Directed by Michael Drumm

Executive Producers: Michael Mills, Brad Sherwood, Colin Mochrie, Rich Super, Erik Kritzer and Jeff Andrews

Starring:

Colin Mochrie

Brad Sherwood

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, stars of the Emmy®-winning Whose Line Is It Anyway?, have finally recorded their hilarious live stage show!! These masters of improv comedy have performed their outrageous, one-of-a-kind show to sold out audiences all over the country. Colin and Brad’s TWO MAN GROUP is a riotously funny, interactive, and completely improvised tour de force. Using nothing but their lightning fast wits and some audience volunteers, Colin and Brad create pandemonium on the spot in one of the funniest live shows you will ever see.

For those who have seen the ABC show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, both Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood have been entertaining people with their improv-based entertainment but also getting audience members to participate and to show how random these improv skits are.

Their live stage show is so popular that they perform at sold-out shows throughout the country.  This is a comedy DVD where nothing is rehearsed, everything is spontaneous and you will no doubt laugh at what you see happen on stage.

In “Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy”, here is what to expect on this DVD:

• Welcome – Both men explain improv and how anyone can do it and how their skits happen on the fly.
• Moving Bodies – watch as both men pick two people from the audience who must control their bodies and improvise the storyline.
• Sound FX – Both men gets suggestions by the audience to do an improv on them riding the rapids but the audience will be provided with a mic to make the sound effects and with these sound effects, both men will improvise from what those sounds.
• Sideways – In this skit, the camera is above and both men are laying down on the floor (which makes them appear as they are in a correct walking stance) and improvising a skit.
• One Word Expert – Both men take turns saying a word and do a skit as the Love Doctors while audiences ask love questions to them.
• Jeopardy – In this skit, both men do the voices for two audience members while their mouths are opening.
• Interpreter – In this skit, Colin Mochrie must do body movements based on an audience member’s occupation.
• Torture – In this segment known as “The Torture Game”, an audience member reads off a list of things that Colin and Brad must improvise and take part in “Questions Only”, where the two must speak in questions only.  For “letter substitution”, “s” must be pronounced as “k”, “If you know what I mean” is when the two men must use that word constantly in a sentence.
• Mousetraps – In this skit, both men are blindfolded and must walk around a stage barefooted with mousetraps all over the floor and all around them strung near their head and body while they walk and improvise.
• End Credits – End Credits

VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy” is presented in 16×9 Widescreen (1:78:1) and in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.  Picture quality is good on DVD, because there are many skits throughout the show, there are various camera angles provided, especially since their are so many audience members that are selected to be part of the show, for the most part, there are no dizzying edits and easy to watch.  Lighting is also well done and for the most part, the presentation is pretty solid on DVD.

There are no subtitles on this DVD.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy” comes with the following special features:

• Do’s and Dont’s of Improv - (6:50) Both Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood explain how they are able to improv and the do’s and dont’s of improv.
• Interview with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood - (5:40) Brad Sherwood interviews Colin Mochrie.

I am familiar with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood’s comedy performance on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and the fact that both men were able to take this show and create a live stage show is pretty fun and exciting but the fact that they are able to connect with the audience and even get audience members to participate throughout the whole show makes it so enjoyable and hilarious.

I review a lot of comedy DVD’s and while this is not a DVD about stand-up comedy, it is a DVD featuring a bunch of improvisational skits that end up becoming comedy and literally, I was constantly laughing throughout the performance.  I felt as if my gut was going to burst because the skits were just off-the-top hilarious.

It’s hard for me to describe this DVD because unlike other comedy-DVD’s where I can describe the comedian and their style of delivery or even the stage set-up, for “Colin & Brad: Two Man Group”, the two men are awesome on stage but what makes their performance work successfully is their ability to interact with the audience and fully use audience participation.  You don’t see that happening all that much, unless it’s a magic show.

As for content, there is no profanity but often, you will hear Brad bring up “crotchless panties” but that is probably the extent of anything that may be too over-the-top for those who may wonder if they can watch this comedy DVD with children.  I will say that in the audience, you will see many parents with their older children at the show.

The DVD is straightforward and you get two special features with the guys messing around and having fun.  In fact, there are not too many comedy DVD’s where I enjoy everything from beginning to end.  Most, you will either like part of it, half of it but for this DVD, the whole performance was hilarious and I can easily say that you will get your money’s worth.

So, overall, If you are looking for a comedy DVD that is easy to get into and one that you can just laugh out loud and have fun watching it, I highly recommend “Colin & Brad: Two Man Group – Live and Dangerous Comedy”.  Definitely recommended!

Kathleen Madigan – Gone Madigan (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Hilarious!  Kathleen Madigan’s first Blu-ray release (her second comedy video release) is fantastic.  Her self-deprectating humor and her jokes that revolve around her family, going on the USO tour overseas to her opinion on celebrities are just hilarious!  Definitely one of the best comedienne’s out there!  ”Gone Madigan” is definitely worth checking out!

Images courtesy of © 2010 1904, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Kathleen Madigan – Gone Madigan

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2010

DURATION: 64 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition  (1:78:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

COMPANY: Image Entertainment

RATED: Not Rated

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2011

Produced by Michelle Caputo

Directed by Shannon Hartman

Executive Producers: Kathleen Madigan, Jo Anne Astrow, Mark Lonow

Starring:

Kathleen Madigan

Lewis Black

On Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan, Kathleen follows in the tradition of great comedic minds like George Carlin and BillHicks by continuing to expand her unique brand of observational humor. Performing at the Gramercy Theater in New York City, Kathleen takes on politics, American culture and her family. It’s reality check time, but don’t fear Madigan’s biting wit, it always comes with a big dose of Midwest charm.

Winner of the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comic, Madigan has been seen on “The Tonight Show,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The View,” “Dr. Phil,” “The Joy Behar Show” and has had her own specials on HBO and Comedy Central. Madigan was the only comedian in the history of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” to go unchallenged by any other comedian and also returned to the show as a talent scout.

Called by Jay Leno, one of America’s funniest female comics, Kathleen Madigan proves it in Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan, a night of laughs you’ll want to share and relive again and again. It’s a hilarious trip through the absurdities of modern life with one of the sharpest minds in comedy today as your guide. So get ready to get gone – Gone Madigan!

“Kathleen Madigan is one of the few comics I’d pay to watch”

Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan (TiVo)

Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan (I Get The Drinking)

Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan (Vegetarians)

Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan (The Economy Is Falling Apart)

Among the most reputable comedienne’s in America is Kathleen Madigan.  Often appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “The Late Sow with David Letterman” and various late night talk shows, she also has her own radio program titled “Blue Collar Comedy” featured on Satellite radio and back in 1996, she won “Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic” at the American Comedy Awards.

Now Kathleen is back with her new comedy DVD, her second DVD since 2006 titled “Gone Madigan”.

The performance took place at the Gramercy Theater in New  York City back in late 2010 and features Madigan talking about going overseas along with Lewis Black, Vince Gill and Kellie Pickler and talks bluntly and humorously about her experience in Afghanistan while on a USO Tour.  Madigan talks about Hillary vs. Obama, going on a Mormon Tour, Healthcare/TSA/Immigration, Banks, Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Palin, Paula Abdul, Katie Couric, Tiger Woods, TIVO, Autism, The Irish & being drunk, her family and more!

A hilarious night of comedy!

VIDEO  & AUDIO:

“Gone Madigan” is presented in 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1:78:1).  The main camera angles focus on a close up of Kathleen Madigan and a full body shot.  Lighting is very good, clips are long and editing is not dizzying or rampant.  If anything, the performance was intimate and focuses no shots during the performance on the audience.

Picture quality features a good amount of grain.  At first I wondered if there was banding coming from the blue curtains but I think that the curtains were probably velvet and reflect the lighting but overall, picture quality for this performance was good.

As for audio, “Gone Madigan” is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  The lossless soundtrack is primarily center and front channel driven.  Audience reaction comes from the front and  surrounds but for the most part, Kathleen’s performance is heard crystal clear as with the audience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Gone Madigan” comes with the following special features presented in 480i Standard Definition enhanced for 16×9 TV’s and uncompressed PCM Stereo:

• Interviews – (3:41) Featuring Kathleen Madigan as she explains her organizational skills of how she keeps track of her jokes and note taking for comedy material.
• Behind the Scenes - (32:35) Featuring Kathleen Madigan behind-the-scenes with her family members.

Usually, when I hear Kathleen Madigan’s name, it’s usually accompanying one of the most hilarious comedian’s in the planet, Lewis Black.

While Lewis can definitely get into those raging moments, Madigan’s comedy is hilarious as she talks about topics that others just don’t say out loud.  During her segment on the “USO Tour”, she pokes fun when discussing country music star Kellie Pickler but also talks about how messed up Afghanistan looked and her feelings about fixing the area.

Madigan then talks about Hillary Clinton vs. President Obama and how tired Clinton has been looking since being Secretary of State and the black underneath her eyes and her messed up hair and the amount of traveling that she constantly has to do.

Madigan picks apart talent such as Oprah Winfrey who is known for her promoting the expensive Jimmy Chu Shoes while then doing an episode on credit card debt and the irony that Oprah lambasting the audiences.

But where Kathleen Madigan rises above the occasion during her performance is her self-depricating comedy but also when she discusses her family.  These are hilarious moments, especially when discussing her father who gives her inspiration for plenty of her jokes as many jokes are derived from their telephone conversations.

On “Gone Madigan”, in this Blu-ray release, you also get to meet the Madigan family and realize that the jokes that Madigan tells are actually true stories and it helps that her family also has a good sense of humor especially her parents.

Madigan’s stage presence is fantastic.  She has a great flow as the jokes keep coming and never misses a beat nor is she ever derailed.  She knows how to get the audience laughing and left wanting more without having to become too crazy or vulgar.  Her jokes make sense and are very logical and if anything, if you are a fan of this comedienne, this is a awesome 65-minute performance.

You do get two special features on the Blu-ray, granted, I would love to have a little bit more.

Also, I think it’s great that Image Entertainment continues releasing Blu-ray releases featuring comediennes.  As most of the comedy DVD or Blu-ray reviews that I tend to cover are mostly by male comedians, it’s good to have fantastic comedienne’s like Kathleen Madigan given an opportunity for a Blu-ray release.

Overall, I’m not going to spoil any of her jokes as they are quick jabs to your gut and she will definitely make you laugh with her politically incorrect jokes especially anything revolving around her family.  Simply hilarious!

Kathleen Madigan’s “Gone Madigan” is definitely worth checking out!

Louis C.K. – Hilarious (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

One of the most entertaining Comedy Central DVD’s I have seen thus far!  Louis C.K.’s comedy makes sense, makes you laugh and makes you want even more!   One of the best comedy films I have seen in the last decade. “Hilarious” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Hilarious, Inc. All Rights Reserved. COMEDY CENTRAL and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners. TM, ® & Copyright © 2011 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Louis C.K. – Hilarious

DURATION: 84 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Widescreen, Closed Captions, Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount

RATED: Not Rated (Explicit Content. Warning: This program is recommended for mature audiences only. It contains adult language and situations.)

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2011

Written, Edited and Directed by Louis C.K.

Executive Producers: Dave Becky, Louis C.K., David Bernath, Cheryl Jenowitz

Producers: Michelle Caputo, Shannon Hartman

Director of Photography: Paul Koestner

Consulting Producer: Mike Berkowitz

Music by Mark Rivers

Starring:

Louis C.K.

In this unique and dynamic live concert experience, Louis C.K.’s exploration of life after 40 destroys politically correct images of modern life with thoughts we have all had… but would rarely admit to. Louis C.K.: Hilarious, premiered at The Sundance Film Festival as the first stand-up concert film presented at Sundance and has received rave reviews confirming why Louis C.K. is the most respected comedic voice of his generation.

Louis C.K. is one of the hottest comedians in America right now.  And if there is one word to describe Louis C.K.’s comedy, it would be “Hilarious” and what a fitting word as it is also the title of his comedy film.

With a hilarious comedy shown on FX titled “Louie” (he also had a show known as “Lucky Louie” on HBO), Louis C.K.  has had a string of success as a writer for the “Late Show with David Letterman”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, “The Dana Carvey Show” and his well-known work for the “Chris Rock Show” which was nominated for an Emmy Award three times and has earned him an Emmy for “Best Writing in Variety or comedy Series” in 1999 and also a nomination for his work on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and his 2008 special “Chewed Up”.

He is also known for writing and directing Chris Rock’s “Pootie Tang” and most recently appeared as a character in the hit NBC comedy sitcom “Parks and Recreation”.

With the success of his three comedy DVD’s “Live Houston” (2003), “Shameless” (2007) and “Chewed Up” (2008), Louis C.K. returns with his fourth comedy DVD “Hilarious” (2010).

“Hilarious” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as the first stand-up concert film presented at Sundance and have received rave reviews.

Louis C.K. explores life after 40 and discussing in his standup of things that gets on his nerves such as people complaining about technology, divorce, dating women at 40, being a father, raising children and more!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Louis C.K. – Hilarious” is presented in widescreen, Dolby Digital and closed captions.  Lighting was well-done, stage production was kept simple and focus is primarily upper-body shots.  There are a good number of camera angles focusing on Louis C.K., not many camera angles towards the audience but for the most part, editing was well-done and not dizzying with many short cuts.

Speaking about the camera angles, typically I dislike performances that don’t show the audience reaction.  I feel it’s important to show the audience gasping, laughing, shocked, etc.  But this is probably one if not the only performance where I agree with the editing in not showing the audience reaction.  The camera is focused on Louis C.K. and that is all that is needed.   He knows how to work the audience to his advantage and no need for extravagant stage backgrounds, everything is kept to the basics and it works!

As for PQ, picture quality is good for DVD and audio is clear and understandable.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Louis C.K. – Hilarious” comes with no special features.

When it comes to stand up comedy, if anyone is in their 30′s or older, you can easily relate to the comedy of Louis C.K.

His comedy for “Hilarious” focused on everyday topics that people can relate to.  From impatience, aging, divorcing, being single and dating again, being overweight, traveling and an excellent second half as Louis takes on raising children.

And there are few comedy DVD’s that I rewatch over and over again and Louis C.K.’s “Hilarious” is one of the them.  I have watched this DVD for the fifth time since I have received it for review and the jokes are still hilarious.

Although the concert audience is not seen, you can tell by the reactions when Louis talks about a joke and hearing those shocked gasps and those who just laugh with that sense of “Oh, man that was f’d up!” type of reaction.  Louis C.K. knows quite well how to work the audience and for this comedy film, he did a fantastic job!

But as I have talked about how I love about “Hilarious” the movie, what about the DVD?  Unfortunately, this is one of the few Comedy Central DVD’s where there are no special features.  After enjoying the film, I was all excited to see if there were any deleted scenes and there were none!  As Louis would joke about people who get all upset about losing wi-fi or not getting good cell phone coverage, I was bummed out that there were no special features on the DVD.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of special features, I still believe this is one of the best comedy films that I have seen in the last decade.  Louis C.K.’s comedy is infectious, crazy, hilarious and everything he speaks of, people can relate to.

From being upset at losing cell phone coverage, losing wi-fi in an airplane, those who are divorced and getting back to dating, being overweight and having a child who talks back at you, these are just a few examples of what you can find in his performance and many jokes that will make you laugh.  In fact, the joke about making breakfast for his daughter and her daughter being a ball of anger shouting for French Toast, wanting syrup, wanting her dad to cut it and just seeing how he takes something so ordinary in a parent’s life and just making it so damn funny!  Once again… Hilarious!

A great start for 2011 for Louis C.K. and Comedy Central and definitely a comedy DVD worth owning!

Recommended!

Gabriel Iglesias – I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

If you thought that Gabriel Iglesias’s last comedy Blu-ray release was hilarious, his second Blu-ray release, “I’m not Fat…I’m Fluffy” is fantastic!  Awesome comedy from beginning to end from one of today’s top comedians in America.  Gabriel doesn’t need to use sex or profanity in his routine to be funny, this comedian will entertain you and make you laugh!  Overall, “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2009 Fluffy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. COMEDY CENTRAL and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners. TM, ® & Copyright © 2009 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Gabriel Iglesias – I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso

DURATION: 69 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080i High Definition,  Dolby Digital: English 5.1, English Stereo, Subtitles: English/English SDH

COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount

RATED:  NOT RATED (Parental Advisory.  Explicit Content.  Warning: This program is recommended for mature audiences only.  It contains adult language and situations.)

RELEASED: January 11, 2011

Executive Producers: Gabriel Iglesias, Pat Buckles, Robert Hartmann, Stu Schreiberg

Photographer: Lencho Guerra

Graphic Artist: Eddie Aguilera

Starring:

Gabriel Iglesias

Martin Moreno

Noe Gonzales

Gabriel Iglesias returns to the stage in this all-new comedy special in front of a packed house at the historic Plaza Theater in El Paso, Texas. Go to the restroom before you watch this and be ready to watch it again and again. I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy will be a classic!!!

The comedian known as the “Fluffy Man”.  Gabriel Iglesias is one of the hottest comedians out there.  Latino flair and hilarious delivery, from his voice impressions to jokes about his weight or personal issues, he knows how to get the audience laughing from beginning to end.  There is no slow down in deliver, Iglesias is just hilarious!

Iglesias is known from being the finalist of the fourth season of “Last Comic Standing” in 2006 but in 2007, it was the success of his 2nd special Comedy Central 2007 DVD  “Hot & Fluffy” (which sold over 300,000 copies) which would propel Gabriel Iglesias as a comedian that can sell out live performances and also comedy DVD’s.

Earlier in the year, Iglesias released a double album CD titled “We Luf Fluffy” from performances from 2006 & 2008 and in November 2009,  his DVD “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” was released and I gave it a favorable rating and I felt it was one of the top 3 comedy DVD’s released in 2009.   And now, “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live from El Paso” gets the HD treatment.

The tracklist on this Blu-ray are as follows:

1. Return to El Paso
2. Nickelodeon
3. Oh Hello No!!
4. I Hear the Bell
5. New Daddy
6. I Do Voices Everywhere
7. Obama
8. My Girl
9. Cop Story 1
10. USO
11. Copy Story 2
12. Cakes and More Cakes
13. Dropping Frankie Off
14. DDR
15. Disney
16. Car Was Stolen

On the Blu-ray, “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso”, Iglesias is literally on top of his game delivery joke after joke.  From sharing stories of his return to El Paso and talking about a time he got drunk and ended up at an alternative gay bar to his first major gift from Nickelodeon to jokes about his personal life with his girlfriend and her son, Gabriel Iglesias’s performance is just hilarious and magnificent.    This time around, because of the family experiences that he has to share, these are situations that people can relate to and again, the voices he does is just top notch as he is able to switch voices on command and just be surprised when you hear it.

But you could tell that his relationship with his girlfriend’s son Frankie has brought new life to his routine and the fact that he can take those personal experiences and make them funny is just what makes the “Fluffy Man” so wonderful to watch on stage and he doesn’t have to get nasty or profane to make the audience laugh.

VIDEO:

“Gabriel Iglesias – I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” is presented in 1080i High Definition, widescreen. There are several angles closeup, stagewise, behind the audience and from a stage angle to showcase the audience at the front.  But overall, editing is well-done and stage setup is simple with pretty cool looking for the backdrop at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso, Texas.  Simple and clean. Lighting is well-done and for the most part, editing is good, no quick cuts to make the viewer dizzy.  Overall, a job well-done.

AUDIO:

“I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” is presented in Dolby Digital English 5.1 and audio is clear and understandable.  Wish it was lossless but overall, the audience can be heard quite well.  Personally, I had my receiver set on stereo on all channels to have a more immersive soundscape.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Gabriel Iglesias – I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” comes with the following special features:

• Deleted Scene: High School Reunion – (7:45) A deleted scene in which Gabriel had to stop his routine because parts of the towel (lint) was all over his face and thus it hurt the pacing.  But Gabriel manages to take the situation and make it humorous for the audience.
• Fluffy’s Friends Hit the Stage: Martin Moreno – (4:59) Martin jokes about getting older and also today’s young Latino guys who are wearing tight pants, tight shirts, plucking their eyebrows and how they are looking effeminate.
• Fluffy’s Friends Hit the Stage: Noe Gonzalez - (4:09) Noe’s comedy is more adult-oriented.  Noel jokes about his size and the concept of size.
• Onstage Q&A With the Fans – (8:07) Gabriel Iglesias answers questions from his fans.

EXTRAS:

“Gabriel Iglesias – I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” comes with an embossed slipcover case.

Gabriel Iglesias is definitely one of the most entertaining comedians today.  Where Latino comedians such as George Lopez and Paul Rodriguez represented the 80′s and 90′s, Gabriel Iglesias is a comedian that entertains people of all ages.  From jokes about video games and his family to jokes about sweating on stage and how it starts to smell like chicharones.

He just makes you laugh and laugh some more and this is what I found most interesting, this is probably one of the few Comedy Central videos that I have watched in my years of review Comedy Central comedy DVD’s (and now Blu-ray), if not the first where the comedy routine is quite clean (and for those who follow Comedy Central comedy DVD’s, finding a title with very little to no profanity is rare).  Granted, he may be saying certain risque things in Spanish but in English… overall, it’s a clean routine and he’s one of those comedians that can still be funny without having to resort to a profanity-driven act.

If anything, this is a comedian who cares about his fans and he tells everyone straight up, if you see him at a restaurant, say hi.  How he is onstage and in real life are the same person and the fact that he gives that Q&A after his performance in order to get the fans a chance to know more about him, goes to show how Iglesias is a class act.  Positive personality but knows how to make the audience laugh…he’s a talented comedian.

Also, I have to say that “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live from El Paso” was a performance where he manages to keep the same excitement going from beginning to end.  His delivery is smooth, continuous and for the most part, just fantastic.

There’s nothing negative about “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live From El Paso” Blu-ray at all.  If anything, it’s great to see Comedy Central now releasing these comedy releases on Blu-ray and they selected one of the best Comedy Central video releases to kick things off!

If you thought “Hot & Fluffy” was a hilarious Blu-ray release, then you have to give “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy: Live from El Paso” a try because this is a fantastic comedy release on Blu-ray and I’m quite confident that you will love this release!

Highly recommended!

Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

If you grew up watching Sam Kinison and loved his comedy, this is one hell of a documentary featuring today’s top comedians paying respects to Kinison nearly 20-years after his death.  Featuring past comedy clips, his “Wild Thing” music video and live performance and more.  “Back from Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” is definitely for fans of his comedy and an awesome Comedy Central DVD release!

Images courtesy of © 2010 Robert Small Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison

YEAR OF DOCUMENTARY: 2010

DURATION: 60 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen, Dolby Digital

RATED: Parental Guidance: Explicit Content.  Warning: This program is recommended for mature audiences only.  It contains adult language and situations.

COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount

Released Dated: November 16, 2010

Directed by Robert Small

Executive Producer: Robert Small, Bill Kinison, Bill Schwartz

Executive Producer for Worldwide Biggies: Albie Hecht

Produced by Carrie Weprin

Co-Producer Pat Buckles

Consulting Producer: Sue Flinker

Editors: Matt Davis, Steven Rosenthal

Assistant Editor: Sharon Perlman

Starring:

Sam Kinison

Denis Leary

Chris Rock

Norm MacDonald

Ice-T

Lenny Clarke

Jay Leno

Kathy Griffin

George Lopez

Richard Belzer

Lewis Black

Paul Profenza

Ron White

Pauly Shore

Carol Leifer

Bill Kinison

Craig Gass

Marc Maron

Rodney Dangerfield

Judy Tenuta

John Lovitz

A star-studded cast of comedians including Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Ron White, Kathy Griffin and Denis Leary gather to pay tribute to the man who turned rage into an art form. Filmed in part at Sam Kinison’s familiar Los Angeles stomping ground The Comedy Store, this documentary weaves performance footage and interviews to offer some fresh perspective on a truly original voice in comedy.

Sam Kinison is one of the most well-known comedians who tackled on subjects and wouldn’t hesitate to tell audiences how he felt about them.  Known for comedy of screaming and delivering controversial humor, Kinison was among one of the few people at the time during the late ’80s who would take subjects that were sensitive to a lot of people and rip on them.

From his jokes on marriage, religion, homosexuals, AIDS… nothing was off-limits, Kinison would take on these subjects without giving no care of what people thought.  A style that made him popular among many comedians and also his love for rock music, he would also earn the respect of the rock stars of the ’80s.

Sam Kinison was one of the most respected comedians who lived life the way he wanted, wild and crazy and there probably will never be a comedian like him ever again.  He was truly an original comedian and with such a long life ahead of him, while things were going great for the comedian, Sam Kinison and his newly married wife Malika Souiri were struck by a 17-year-old drunk driver in April 1992.  While his wife survived, Kinison was killed.

A life cut short 18-years-ago, Comedy Central will be celebrating Kinison’s life in a special titled “Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” in which his comedian friends and celebrity friends share their memories of Sam Kinison and what they loved about him.  The special tribute documentary features comedians and talents such as Denis Leary, Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, Ice-T, Lenny Clarke, Jay Leno, Kathy Griffin, George Lopez and many more.

VIDEO:

“Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” is presented in widescreen.  Picture quality differs as you get a combination of modern interviews and old clips of classic Sam Kinison live performances from the ’80s.  But for the most part, this is a pretty cool documentary/tribute in which picture quality is for the most part pretty good.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Stereo.  The DVD is center and front channel driven.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” comes with the following special features:

• Stories from the Comedy Store – (12:33) Featuring a celebration of Sam Kinison’s life by Bill Kinison, Craig Gass, Marc Maron and Pauly Shore doing standup at the Comedy Store.
• Music – (10:06) Featuring Sam Kinison performing “Wild Thing” Live and the original music video of Kinison’s “Wild Thing”.
• Additional Stand-Up – (17:06) Featuring Sam Kinison stand-up comedy routines for: Bigger than Me, Donating to Aids Research, Extended Cocaine Bit, Friends When You’re High, Jesus’ Wife, Leper Whore, Sam’s Moving Idea and Swallowing

When I was a teenager, Sam Kinison was a comedian that I absolutely loved watching.  This man was not afraid to tackle subjects that may be too taboo for the masses but he did and the audience gravitated towards his comedy because a lot of what he does say is quite logical while others who dislike his comedy look at him as insensitive and comedy of hatred.

But this was how things were during the ’80s and ’90s.  Unlike today in which a comedian can easily be scrutinized for talking about things that are wrong or not politically correct, back then, comedians didn’t touch those subjects but Kinison did.  And he did it with a style that no one can ever copy with the same amount of flair, this man would literally scream his head out and audiences would be wide-eyed and surprised.  This is Kinison’s comedy and his delivery was well-paced, starting off slow until he launches his tirade on the audience and you can’t help but laugh.

I remember one of my favorite HBO young comedian special in which Kinison took part of and he was talking about the kids that were starving in Africa and Kinison would talk about how the kids starving and are very depressed and seeing the commercials of how cruel.  He starts off sincere But then he slowly begins his tirade of how he wished the film crew could at least give the kid a sandwich.  And then starts screaming how the director would want to make sure these kids look hungry while shooting and telling his crew not to feed them and literally getting the audience laughing.

He then goes into world hunger and says if you want to stop world hunger, stop giving them food.   You hear this awkward silence and he continues that the drivers would continue to drive U-HAULS full of food to those countries for 34 years and then Kinison would unleash and start screaming that it would occur to the drivers that world hunger wouldn’t happen if these people would just pack up and move where the food is.  Kinison would then start screaming “YOU LIVE IN A DESERT!  YOU LIVE IN A FU**IN DESERT!  UNDERSTAND YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE!  NOTHINGS GONNA GROW OUT HERE!” and then he would become sincere again and crouch down and say, “see this here.. it’s sand.  This is sand.  It’s sand.  You know what it’s going to be in 100 years…. IT’S GOING TO BE SAND!  YOU LIVE IN A FU**ING DESERT!  GET YOUR KIDS, GET YOUR SH*T, WE’LL MAKE ONE TRIP AND TAKE YOU TO WHERE THE FOOD IS!  WE HAVE DESERTS IN AMERICA, WE JUST DON’T LIVE IN THEM ***HOLE!”.

It was trademark Kinison style and I can’t think of anyone who can replace him.  And that’s what I love about this tribute to Sam Kinison, seeing all these comedians complimenting, thanking Sam Kinison for what he contributed to comedy.

Comedian Chris Rock would talk about how when he was just starting out and doing comedy acts at 1-2 am, he could hear Sam Kinison laughing and how the comedian took him out for dinner and would tell him how he loved his act.   Kathy Griffin would compliment his comedy and although she wouldn’t vote for him if he ran for office, she loved his comedy. And there are many comedians on this tribute that pay their respect to Sam Kinison and very rarely do you see top acts all taking part in a documentary.

I can also remember in his comedy acts, he would be joined by two beautiful women (scantily clothed) and then he would go on a tirade by calling the ex-girlfriends of guys who had been cheated on and join them in a screaming tirade on the women.  Because Sam Kinison has had marriages in which the woman would cheat on him, his thoughts on marriage would play out in his comedy acts.  It was insane but the crowd loved it and definitely a memorable moment.

The documentary also touches upon how Sam emulated televangelist and how religion would be part of his act.  And he would unleash on religion especially these televangelist which were on the forefront in the ’80s and ’90s due to the Jim Bakker scandal (interesting enough, he dated Jessica Hahn, who had an affair with Bakker and she even appeared scantily clad in his “Wild Thing” music video).

And speaking of the music video, we also get to learn in this tribute of how he got involved in the rock n’ roll world and he was introduced to a world of excess.  At that time of his life, he would drink a lot and was quite hardcore in doing drugs.  And the comedians who knew him talked about his involvement.  Also, we learn some details of those who did drugs with him and also some details of what took place behind-the-scenes of that “Wild Thing” music video which shocked even me because I always thought how awesome it was to see a music video with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Skid Row, Billy Idol and other rockers together cheering on Sam Kinison singing and getting down with Jessica Hahn.

But the tribute would also go to discuss his sobriety but also when he got clean after he was arrested for substances.  Or so you thought.  This was an interesting part of the tribute because even more myself, I believed he was clean and sober but learning from this tribute and learn that it was part of his sentence where he had to give anti-drugs messages.  Chris Rock even talked about how he would talk about being clean on stage, he would catch Kinison snorting coke and look at Chris Rock and tell him “The important thing is that they think your clean”.

And “Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison” also includes a segment of his two ladies Sabrina and Malika (who he eventually married) and how he was a man who literally got a lot of sex, to a man who could care less about being politically correct and wanted to be outrageous and wanted people to be shocked by what he would say but still laugh at his comedy.

For me, that’s what I loved about Sam Kinison’s comedy.  Taking topics that people would dare touch and make humor out of it.  From world hunger, drug use, religion, homosexuality, serial killers going after rappers, he didn’t care and he knew that there would be people protesting his comedy acts but he could care less.  It was a different time from today, where comedians are now held accountable for what they say and are targeted by people on the Internet and the media watchdogs but back then, that was what made his comedy acts so special and so unique and he is definitely a comedian that could never be duplicated.

As for this tribute documentary, I absolutely loved it!  I grew up watching Sam Kinison and there are a lot of things I didn’t know about the man but the documentary definitely gives us an idea of how he was on stage and also off-stage.  Comedy Central also includes some of his performances in the special feature but also the music video and his live performance of “Wild Thing”.

If you grew up during a time when Sam Kinison was around delivering his style of comedy, looking back, you realize how unique this comedian really was.  And as mentioned, rarely do you see many top comedians coming together for a tribute documentary, from late night hosts/comedians Jay Leno and George Lopez, Dennis Leary, Chris Rock, Kathy Griffin and many, many others who have had a chance to work with Sam Kinison or had that opportunity to get to know him and to pay their respect to him nearly 20-years-later after his death.  It goes to show how special of a comedian Sam Kinison truly was.

Definitely recommended!

Bo Burnham – Words Words Words (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Controversial, smart and clever comedy by young comedian prodigy Bo Burnham.  If you are a big fan of his comedy work on YouTube, “Words Words Words” is a comedy DVD that is definitely for you!

Images courtesy of © 2010 Comedy Central. All Rights Reserved. COMEDY CENTRAL and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners. TM, ® & Copyright © 2010 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Bo Burnham – Words Words Words

YEAR OF MOVIE: 2010

DURATION: 63 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen, Closed Captions

COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount

RATED: Explicit Content Warning: This program is recommended for mature audiences only.  It contains adult language and situations.

RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2010

Directed by Shannon Hartman

Written and Performed by Bo Burnham

Executive Producers: Bo Burnham, Dave Becky

Producer: Michelle Caputo

Starring:

Bo Burnham

The internet (and soon to be movie, TV, radio, etc.) phenomenon, Bo Burnham, brings you his first one-hour stand-up special Bo Burnham: Words, Words, Words from the House of Blues in Boston. Before he reached his 18th birthday, Burnham entered the mainstream consciousness with internet videos of him playing uproarious songs with ingenious wordplay and bad puns. This stand-up special will surely not disappoint!

For a 19-year-old, Bo Burnham has accomplished quite a bit as a teenage comedian.  As a musician who can play guitar and a piano, he also was involved in theatre and attended NYU’s Tisch School of Arts.

But since his debut on YouTube back in 2006 (and eventually doing even better on break.com), videos that were meant for his brother in college became big hits as he would play his guitar and play an electric piano and wrote mature-themed songs which were controversial as he would sing about white supremacy, disabilities, ethnicities, homosexuality and playing off racism and say things that comedians would not touch.  Call him an equal opportunist, no one is spared from his comedy and expect to see him say things controversial when it comes to race, gender, sexuality and religion.

And next thing you know, he was signed in 2007 by the Gersch Agency’s Douglas Edley, the same agent who represents Drew Carey and Dave Chappelle.

At 19-years-old , Bo Burnham is like a mix of Eminem and the sensitivity of Andrew Dice Clay, people are going to love the dark comedy and people are going to hate it.  His comedy, aside from its controversy, the words show his education as what comes out of his mouth is smart and intelligent. He knows that his jokes are going to get people riled up but that is what people love about his comedy and now he has had a concert DVD, comedy albums and is now set to release his new comedy DVD “Words, Words Words” from Comedy Central.

Bo’s comedy presentation features random storytelling and Bo performing on the guitar or playing the piano and singing.    A style that has earned him several comedy awards and many events booking him all over the country.  But despite the popularity, Bo Burnham has his fans but he has also received protests by students at colleges where he is performing.  Although he has said his satire has well-intention, whether Bo Burnham believes the things that come out of his mouth is debatable but the fact is that there are people who love his blunt comedy and those who are sickened by it.

“Words, Words, Words” is Bo’s first special live from Boston and features lie, uncut and uncensored footage.  The comedy track listing for Bo Burnham’s new DVD are:

1. “What’s Funny”
2. Girlfriend
3. Racial Humor
4. “Men & Women”
5. One Man Shows
6. “Ironic”
7. Binary Reality
8. “Words, Words, Words”
9. A Prayer
10. How Do We Fix Africa?
11. Haikus
12. Sonnet
13. Shakespeare
14. “Rant”
15. Theoretical D**K Jokes
16. Statistics
17. “Art is Dead”
18. Traditional Stand-Up
19. “Oh Bo”
20. “I’m Bo Yo” Encore
21. “Love is” Encore

VIDEO:

“Bo Burnham – Words Words Words” is presented in widescreen.  Stage is small enough to hold his piano, guitar, chair and a few other things.  He’s not a comedian that moves around a lot but for the most part, camera angles were fine.  You get a closeup of Bo, camera from behind aimed at the audience and another camera set behind the first few rows.  But the majority of the footage are closeups or when he plays an instrument.

Picture quality for the DVD is good and lighting for the show was well-done.  It would have been nice to see audience fan reaction but for the most part, the video of his Boston show was well-done.

AUDIO:

“Bo Burnham – Words Words Words” is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  There is a good amount of surround usage for the crowd ambiance but for the most part, dialogue and music is clear through the front and center channels.

There are no English subtitles but closed captions are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Bo Burnham – Words Words Words” comes with two music videos:

• “Words, Words Words” Music Video
• “Oh Bo” Music Video

Bo Burnham is definitely a comedian of the Internet age.  It’s a style of comedy that is so random, absurd, controversial and it’s like his comedy goes into tangents of whatever he feels like talking about and then starts playing a piano or the guitar and just sings or raps.  It’s a style that you don’t see with many comedians and it works for Bo Burnham.

For one, Bo Burnham has charisma and youth which literally attracts women in the audience and you can literally hear them scream of how they want to sleep with him and for the guys, he comes off like a buddy who talks shit about everyone and you either laugh or are amused.  Bo Burnham’s comedy is highlighted by a young guy who likes to talk shit about whatever he wants and then show us how talented he is with his instruments as he sings or raps to the audience.

“Words Words Words” is like half comedy show, half music show and everything is random.  He says what’s on his mind, he’ll move back to his piano and play a song and come back and talk about whatever.  You really don’t know what to expect when he’s on stage.

Needless to say, his comedy is quite unsettling and although different is presentation, his shock comedy is reminiscent of the ’90s comedian Andrew Dice Clay, controversial and he could care less of how people feel.  Burnham is without the cigarettes or the wanting to nail women bit, he’s a guy in a t-shirt, jeans, a not so Justin Bieber-ish hairstyle and looks like your average young guy.  But the more you listen to his comedy, not only do you realize that he’s smart and educated (as there are very few comedians who would touch upon Shakespear or sonnets in their comedy) but he doesn’t want to be a traditional comedian.  As he has done online, this is a new generation of comedians who want to do things their own way.

And his way will either make you love his comedy or make you sick of him.

Bo Burnham will go into tangents such as saying he would like to do a 69 with a Black woman not as a joke but so he can create yin and yang.  How he calls his Black friend Jamal even though his name is Randy or one time doing an impression of Smeagol of “Lord of the Rings” and having sex with a Black girl and saying “Oh, Precious”.

When he discusses statistics, Burnham says that “1 out of the 44 U.S. Presidents can dunk”, “The average child of Sarah Palin is 46.2 chromosomes”, “.27 percent of all Jenga games are played on 9/11″.

When discussing haiku, Burnham said, “Do unto others as you would want done to you… said the rapist.”, “If you’re friend calls, don’t answer the phone if he’s Asian” or other bits that come at random in which Burnham says, ““How old is too old to stop believing in the tooth fairy, cause my cousin is fourteen years old and he still believes in gay marriage.”

When asked that he covers so much taboo subjects, is there one subject that he would never take on and he answers, “white people… haven’t they gone through so much already”.

Bo Burnham’s comedy is subjective…you are either going to love it or hate it.  Enjoy it or feel very ticked off by it.  So, needless to say, “Words Words Words” is not a DVD that people who are sensitive are not going to watch and see.  Otherwise, if you are not offended by his controversial jokes, then you are fine.

Again, his comedy style is quite random…half prose/half music, the fact is that Bo Burnham is talented but whether or not his jokes are appropriate for you, is up to you.  The people who have brought him to popularity are those on YouTube or break.com that love his style of comedy and he doesn’t water it down.  He brings that style of entertainment that you see on his videos online to the stage and in many ways, the presentation is quite fresh because he doesn’t follow traditional comedians and their style of delivery. It’s nothing new but at the same time, how its presented is quite clever.

I also believe that because he is very young, a lot of his comedy and the things he says goes over well with this young crowd, because anyone older and saying this material will probably not receive the same results.  And as mentioned, because of his looks and his presentation, he is one of the few comedians where you will hear women screaming that they want to have sex with him during his performance.

Overall, Bo Burnham’s “Words Words Words” is an interesting, random, entertaining and absurd Comedy Central DVD.  It’s definitely different than any comedy-based DVD I have watched and reviewed and as mentioned, although the music/comedy is not new, it’s all about presentation and Burnham’s presentation is quite original.

Otherwise, if you are sensitive to racial jokes or controversial topics, this DVD is clearly not for you.  But if you are part of that crowd who has followed Burnham’s jokes online, on Youtube or other video-based site and loved his performances or his style of comedy, then “Words Words Words” is definitely for you!

Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

If your a big fan of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, you’ll definitely enjoy their latest, hilarious comedy special on DVD featuring over 30 minutes of uncensored material not shown on television and also an extra hour of special features including a featurette showcasing Broken Lizard behind-the-scenes as they travel nationwide.  If you enjoyed the comedy from their films such as “Super Troopers”, “Beerfest” or “The Slammin’ Salmon”, definitely give this DVD a try!

Images courtesy of © 2010 Comedy Partners. All Rights Reserved. COMEDY CENTRAL, BROKEN LIZARD and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners. TM, ® & Copyright © 2010 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored

DURATION: 78 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen, Dolby Digital, Color

RATED: Parental Advisory: Explicit Content Warning.  This program is recommended for mature audiences only.  It contains adult language and situations/

COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount

Released Dated: September 14, 2010

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Co-Directed by Robert Barocci

Written by Broken Lizard

Executive Producer Richard Perello

Director of Photography: Robert Barocci

Edited by Brad Katz

Production Designer: Laura Fine Hawkes

Music by Tim Mosher & Stoker

Starring:

Jay Chandrasekhar

Kevin Heffernan

Paul Soter

Steve Lemme

Erik Stolhanske

Concert Film includes over 30 minutes of uncensored material not shown on Comedy Central. Nothing is off limits when Broken Lizard, the guys behind Super Troopers and Beerfest, unveil their uproarious night of stand-up comedy. Live from The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, each group member takes the stage to discuss drugs, lust and everything in between, culminating with the origin tale of how they all met. Broken Lizard delivers their unique brand of outrageously raunchy comedy in one unforgettable night of stand-up.

The comedy troupe known as Broken Lizard have been entertaining the masses since the five friends formed a comedy group at Colgate University back in 1990.  The group which consists of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske are known for films such as “Super Troopers”, “Beerfest” and member Jay Chandrasekhar directed the 2005 film “The Dukes of Hazard”.

Some may feel their humor is frat boy, wasted on alcohol good times style of comedy and that is no surprise considering that Jay Chandrasekhar assembled the troupe from members of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and in the beginning, the group did quite a bit of live stand up comedy until they began to focus more on films and television starting off with Comedy Central’s “Is this On?” as the group wrote and were featured on the comedy short “Dante’s Levels of Hell”.

And after a few independent attempts at film, it was not until 2000 when the group worked on their first major film “Super Troopers” which was invited to Sundance and received a distribution deal at Fox Searchlight pictures and eventually became a cult-hit and cemented the comedy troupe’s success as the group would then work on “Club Dread”, “The Dukes of Hazard” and “Beerfest”.  The group recently finished their fifth feature “The Slammin’ Salmon” which was directed by Kevin Hefferman.

The comedy troupe recorded their live comedy special on January 28th at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and the following segments are included on “Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored”.

• Backstage Pregame - Featuring the comedy group’s pre-game ritual before their live comedy performance.
• Steve Lemme Stand Up – Talks about he and his buddies enjoying their discussion of masturbation, his impression of Kevin Heffernan’s teddybear and more.
• Sue Boyle – Sure, we know of Susan Boyle but not Kevin Heffernan’s version of Sue Boyle.
• Paul Soter Stand Up – Paul talks about he and his friends disgusting habits and being married.
• Patrick Swayze – Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan talk about meeting Patrick Swayze for the first time.
• Erik Stolhanske Stand Up – Erik talks about he and his wife trying to have a baby and getting a sperm count and more.
• Jay Chandrasekhar Stand Up – Jay talks about having a threesome, smoking pot and talking to Indian tech support.
• Kevin Heffernan Stand Up – Kevin talks about doing full frontal nudity in a film and becoming “Bear of the Day”.
• How We Met – The guys tell a story of how they met each other at Colgate University.

VIDEO:

“Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored” is presented in widescreen and picture quality is good.  Camera angles are typically from behind the audience, front of the comedian, behind the comedian and also closeups of the audience reaction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored” is presented in Stereo.  Audio is clear and you can hear the comedian clearly and also hear the audience laughing quite well. Personally, I chose to have my receiver set on stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack but overall, audio is good and found no problems at all.

Closed captions are included with this DVD feature.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored” comes with the following special features:

• Super Troopers Sketch – (7:06) Featuring
• On the Road with Broken Lizard – (22:23) Featuring footage of the comedy troupe performing at various cities across the country and footage recorded behind-the-scenes and backstage.  Chapters on this featurette include:

- Jay Loves Everyone

- Soundcheck

- Blumpy

- Backstage in Milwaukee

- Erik’s Parrot Song

- Wonder Woman

- Backstage in Boston

- Backstage in Philadelphia

- Who’s On First on Steroids

• Backstage Pregame Long Cut and Outtakes – (11:23) Featuring the longer version of the backstage pregame plus outtakes from the special.

Rarely do you find comedy troupe DVD’s especially from Comedy Central and for many fans of Broken Lizard, this release is a special treat as you literally get to see five comedians doing stand-up comedy their own way, with their own personal style.

If anything, their comedy style can be seen as comedy targeted for inebriated college students or jokes that guys talk about with their friends and just get a kick out of it.  You know…jokes about farts, sex and masturbation.  Topics that are not for everyone but if you can find yourself laughing about a guy having sex with a ball or teddy bear, this DVD is for you.

With that being said, if one was to judge their comedy through films such as “Super Troopers, “Club Dread”, “Beerfest” or “The Slammin’ Salmon”, although not major theatrical hits, there are those who can’t stand their style of comedy and find it juvenile and moronic, while there is a group who digs their comedy and find them quite hilarious.

For me, I found “Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored” to be one of those shows that would be fun to be with your guy friends and not sure if my wife or her friends would dig it.  If anything, the guys of Broken Lizard are guys you picture yourself hanging out with and just joke around and talk about life experiences and joke about it.

Steve Lemme kicks things off with his discussion of masturbation and just exposing his friend’s crazy secrets such as Kevin Heffernan’s sex with his teddybear and Steve doing an imitation of that teddy bear.  Then you have Heffernan doing his impression of Susan Boyle as she discusses various sexual moves that she has not partaken in but each word that comes out of her mouth is so hilarious that it gets the crowd going.

Paul Soter then gets into discussions of his friends disgusting habits. From when they sleep or walk around naked, I don’t know how crazy things got with these guys at Colgate University but it’s hilarious when Soter gets into discussions about his comedy partners and the crazy things that they do.  I know some women might find these topic gross but for guys, you can’t help but laugh.

Probably one of the coolest stories was Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan describing their story of meeting Patrick Swayze, more like Steve Lemme scaring him off and acting a bit stalker-ish and thus receiving the wrath from Matt Dillon.  But it’s a hilarious story with a pretty cool ending.

Erik Stolhanske’s comedy definitely hits home to the married crowd, especially the guys who have tried to get their wive’s pregnant to no avail.  It’s a topic that some guys can relate to.  Guys who spend part of their life in trying not to get someone pregnant but in the times you do want it to happen, it just doesn’t happen.

Jay Chandrasekhar’s comedy was like hearing a hilarious story from a guy who’s wasted but nevertheless, funny dialogue especially when talking about Indian call centers and people from India having to pretend they are from the US yet their pronunciation of his last name just perfectly.  Definitely a funny bit.   And the night ends with Kevin Heffernan’s discussion of his full frontal nudity scene  and  all comedians getting together to discuss how they all met to end the performance.

When it’s all done, you wish there is more and fortunately there is about 40-minutes more of special features for people to watch including the group’s nationwide comedy tour and what goes on behind-the-scenes.

Overall, “Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored” is a hilarious DVD but it’s different compared to other Comedy Central DVD’s and the fact that you do get stand-up comedy routines from five individuals who have their own style of comedy, it definitely makes a more accessible comedy DVD.  And the fact that there are over 30 minutes of uncensored material not shown on Comedy Central included on this DVD, should make fans of Broken Lizard quite happy.

In the end, this DVD is definitely for their fans.  If you are familiar with their films such as “Super Troopers, “Club Dread”, “Beerfest”, “The Slammin’ Salmon” or even the “Dukes of Hazard” film, and you enjoyed the comedy in those films, more than likely you’re going to enjoy the comedy on “Broken Lizard Stands Up: Live, Extended and Uncensored”.

Grab yourself a beer, watch it with your buddies and have a good time!

JAMIE FOXX RETURNS TO FOX AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF SKETCH-COMEDY SERIES

Actor-Comedian Affion Crockett Set to Star and Serve as Producer

FOX has picked up JAMIE FOXX PROJECT (working title), a half-hour sketch-comedy series executive-produced by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and set to debut in primetime during the 2010-2011 season. Rising actor and sketch-comedy star Affion Crockett (“The Boondocks,” “Dance Flick”) – whose incisive web shorts have created a cult following – will star in and also serve as a producer of this fast-paced comedy.

“Jamie Foxx’s brilliance first shined on FOX, so it’s fantastic to welcome him back to the network,” said Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Jamie is an undeniable comedy powerhouse both as a performer and a producer, and teamed with the outrageous next-generation comedy of Affion Crockett, we look forward to the next wave of sketch comedy on FOX.”

“I’m looking forward to delivering a groundbreaking new series and working closely with the talented team at FOX again,” said Foxx.

In the vein of the groundbreaking and network-defining “In Living Color,”JAMIE FOXX PROJECT (working title) will offer a fresh take on pop culture, including spoofs of movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, music videos and celebrities, with a diverse cast made up of the very best new young comedians on the scene today. Additionally, some of the biggest names in Hollywood will be stopping by for a visit.

JAMIE FOXX PROJECT (working title) is a production of Fox Television Studios, Foxx/King Entertainment and The Tannenbaum Company. The series is executive-produced by Foxx, Marcus King (“Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper,”“The Jamie Foxx Show”), Jaime Rucker King (“Ray,”“From G’s to Gents”), Eric Tannenbaum (“Two and a Half Men”) and Kim Tannenbaum (“Two and a Half Men”). Carl Jones (“The Boondocks”) serves as co-executive producer, while Crockett serves as a producer.

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