Comedy Clubs Nyc

The Serious Guide to Joke Writing: How To Say Something Funny About Anything Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a professional humorist and storyteller. For years I have struggled with the need to continuously develop and deliver new material. I have read dozens of books on the subjects of humor and joke writing, but The Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway is by far the best.

Ms Holloway writes in a conversational and engaging style. Her prose is concise and boy, does she ever deliver! The chapters on Joke-Webs, the Hadron Joke Collider and the Surrealist Inquisition are gold mines. A longtime user of mind mapping, I was immediately able to put the joke web and Hadron Joke Collider ideas to use with excellent results. Not to worry though, if you are not familiar with mind mapping Ms Holloway's clear instructions and trouble-shooting guides will have you using both techniques in no time if you are willing to put in the work. The Surrealist Inquisition is proving to be a challenging technique, but one that I will spend more time with since I can easily see its ability to help come up with wildly funny ideas.

The book flows, pulling you along and guiding you through each exercise. If you are interested in writing jokes, humorous essays, monologues, or simply adding some punch to your presentations, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

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How To Write Jokes for Fun & ProfitThis comprehensive joke writing masterclass has been devised for beginners and experienced joke writers alike. The techniques you will learn can be used again and again to write funny and original material for: Stand-up comedy; Speeches; Political satire; Monologues; TV, Stage & radio; Witty articles & blogs; Comedy sketches; Sitcom scripts; Cartoons & Comic-Strips; Business Presentations.You hold in your hands the key to unlocking your inner comedy genius. When you read this book you will discover...* Simple yet powerful ways to write hilarious material on any subject * Insider tricks professionals use to get going and keep going* Where jokes really come from and why this makes writing easier* Techniques for creating simple puns and wordplay for laughs* How to tap into a continuous stream of comedy consciousness* Creative tools such as Joke-Webbing and the Hadron Joke Collider* How to mine newspapers and headlines for topical comedy gold* Ways to take jokes in weird and wonderful directions with surrealism* How to hone your jokes to maximise laughs and minimise memorisationIf you want to write comedy of any kind this book is for you...

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Made You Laugh: The Funniest Moments in Comedy Review

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(More customer reviews)The sub-title says a lot. This is a collection of stories about comedy through the years. The list is too long to repeat here, but if it was funny: on stage, on radio, on television or in the movies, it's probably here.
It's written that you don't need to sit down and go from beginning to end. You flip through and you find Richard Pryor, or Bill Murray, or here's the story of the Smothers Brothers TV show getting cancelled because of political sensitivities, immediately to be followed by Laugh In.
To top it off, there's a CD, worth the price of the book by itself there's a DVD. On it, Carl and Rob Reiner present a compilation of clips from Charlie Chaplin to Jerry Lewis to Jim Carrey.
This is a very good, very entertaining book. This is not a funny book. It's a book about being funny. What it does is make you remember those movies, those shows that MADE YOU LAUGH.

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What better way to recognize and honor America's funniest moments and greatest laugh artists than an insightful, anecdote-laden multimedia presentation that allows readers and viewers to fully experience the sharpest comedians throughout broadcast and film history. That's exactly what Made You Laugh! offers, as author Joe Garner applies his magic touch to one of America's most treasured forms of entertainment.Joe's insightful text, original videotaped interviews, and choicest clips from radio, comedy variety shows, sitcoms, stand-up routines, and classic films instantly remind readers of some of the most fun-filled times of their lives. It shows why they love to laugh-and why a great joke is a thing of lasting beauty, at least until the next side-splitter comes along. The book is divided into three main sections: "The Funniest Moments from Radio and Television," "The Funniest Stand-up Moments," and "The Funniest Movie Moments." Chapters throughout give readers a hearty chuckle while providing rare behind-the-scenes glimpses into favorite entertainers and their work, complete with firsthand memories from the comedians, writers, and producers who were there. The accompanying DVD, hosted by a major comedy talent, includes the actual audio/film clips of the particular memorable moment along with original videotaped and archival interviews. It all adds up to one seriously successful look at the world of laughs!

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Live Nude Girls: The Top 100 Strip Clubs in North America Review

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(More customer reviews)As a frequenter of exotic clubs, I read this book and was disappointed. The book is funny and somewhat interesting, but it lacks alot information. I have dated many strippers and this book does not tell it like it really is. Besides, too many questions are still left unanswered. Good thing the book was cheap.

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This is a guide to a selection of the 100 best strip clubs, topless bars and exotic entertainment centres across America. In addition there are details of 100 side bars, including information on etiquette such as tipping practices, types of dances, dancers and strip club lingo.

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Great Comedians Talk About Comedy Review

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(More customer reviews)It's no secret that comedians -- great and not-so-great -- are influenced by the WORK of other comedians. The advent of film in the 20th century made this a lot easier since when a comedian died the work was still available...and now with videos etc. it's easier than ever.
But what about HOW these comedians made laughs...how they were inspired...what specific techniques they used and did not use...and what advice they would give anyone interested in going into any area of comedy?
Those have been tough answers to get. To do it you'd have to buy a slew of good and sometimes rotten bios, many of them out of print. Until now. Stand-up comedian Larry Wilde's Great Comedians Talk About Comedy brings it all together.
Great Comedians is a superb, singular achievement that collects within one lively, 402-page, info-packed volume, detailed interviews done over several years with some of the 20th century's greatest comedians and comedy actors.
The selection is absolutely mind-boggling: Woody Allen, Milton Berle, Shelly Berman, Jack Benny, Joey Bishop, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Maurice Chevalier, Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Dick Gregory, George Jessle, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn.
Each interview is presented in straight Q&A format so you get to "hear" the question and "hear" the response, from what the comedian/comedy actor says to his/her own speech pattern. These folks worked in venues from vaudeville, to radio, to night clubs, to radio to early silent movies to talkies to TV. And their responses to questions contain revelations and constant inspiration.
A key theme: how "making it" in comedy requires timing, good material, dogged persistance, constant analysis of jokes/laughs and being LIKEABLE to an audience. Copying someone's stage personna or stealing their jokes just won't do it.
My favorite interviews were with Woody Allen (how he writes ten jokes on everything from matchbooks to napkins and only uses a few; how he won't try jokes out on friends since they're often too negative; how audience appeal MATTERS...and his pointing to Jackie Gleason as someone who often had a lousey show but people loved him), Jack Benny (the importance of learning comedy and advancing step by step...an explanation of his legendary timing), Joey Bishop ("...Luck cannot sustain you.Only talent can sustain you.."), George Burns (tips on timing, attitude and the importance emulating but not copying other performers), Phyllis Diller (five truly SUPERB short inspirational tips that can advance MANY careers...Her high laugh per minute standards), and Jerry Seinfeld (timing, getting into a focused mental framework and how his love of comedy as a kid blossomed).
This book an essential for ANYONE interested in comedy, or for students of comedy, public speakers, or anyone who simply wants to be funny in public. It's ALL HERE: the inspiration, the tips, the stories, the bios...the TOOLS.
It's now a cliche to say "comedy isn't easy" and the whole process is mysterious. Larry Wilde's Great Comedians Talk About Comedy makes it less mysterious and -- a a bit easier.

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This volume presents seventeen of the funniest people of the 20th Century talking about how they make people laugh.Each engaging interview was painstakingly elicited by the author, who spent years researching, collecting the material and recording these intimate one-on-one conversations.

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Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay Review

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(More customer reviews)This book provides some marvelous exercises for learning to think comically, which Horton claims is essential to writing good comedy. He also provides a rich history of comic traditions in many genres, which adds to the book's usefulness. He does, however, manage to skim both subjects too lightly in his attempt to put both in the same book. Thus, those who are looking for a how-to book will be dissatisfied, and those who are looking for an academic book will be dissatisfied. His treatment of comedy as a genre is too light to be considered anything other than watered down for screenwriters who are supposed to care. Did *I* enjoy the book? In most instances, yes. However, I found it too selective of what Horton considered good examples of comedy.

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Whoever wrote "Make 'em laugh!" knew that it's easier said than done. But people love to laugh, and good comedy will always sell. With the help of this complete and entertaining guide, writers and would-be writers for film and television can look forward to writing comedy that goes far beyond stereotypic jokes and characters. In Laughing Out Loud, award-winning screenwriter and author Andrew Horton blends history, theory, and analysis of comedy with invaluable advice.Using examples from Chaplin to Seinfeld, Aristophanes to Woody Allen, Horton describes comedy as a perspective rather than merely as a genre and then goes on to identify the essential elements of comedy. His lively overview of comedy's history traces its two main branches--anarchistic comedy and romantic comedy--from ancient Greece through contemporary Hollywood, by way of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville, and silent movies. Television and international cinema are included in Horton's analysis, which leads into an up-close review of the comedy chemistry in a number of specific films and television shows.The rest of the book is a practical guide to writing feature comedy and episodic TV comedy, complete with schedules and exercises designed to unblock any writer's comic potential. The appendices offer tips on networking, marketing, and even producing comedies, and are followed by a list of recommended comedies and a bibliography.

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Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective: A Memoir Review

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(More customer reviews)Moreso than with most "page turners", I actually had to stop myself skipping sentences during the many races from tension to release which unfold throughout the pages of this book. In 'Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective', Jerry Castaldo shares a compelling collection of autobiographical tales which comprise a portrait of the author and his self-deliverance from a world he recounts as desperate and dangerous. His physical extraction is paralleled by the unfolding of an inner journey towards the freedom of self-understanding, with themes of entrapment and escape, fear and courage, frustration and hope. The imagery and drama are richly detailed, the situations moving and memorable. Whereas the lives of ordinary people are increasingly propped up and passed off as entertainment, this engaging work offers a worthwhile glimpse of reality at its realest: raw, rough, and resolute. It is an honest and apt account of the achievements of one individual at large in unsteady times. Strongly recommended.

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This explosive autobiographical volume is a gripping account of entertainer Jerry Castaldo growing up on the mean streets of Brooklyn, NY, his agonizing descent into the darkness of the city's underbelly and his desperate struggle back to normalcy.Celebrated NY Post columnist, author and playwright Chip Deffaa edited this dark, yet highly inspirational story."Heartbreaking," "surprising," "emotionally charged.""Shocking," "volatile," "riveting" and "just plain scary."Those comments are from readers of this book who cut a wide swath across a varied demographic--men, women; young, old; and who are from varying socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and locales.

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The Second City: Backstage at the World's Greatest Comedy Theater (book with 2 audio CDs) Review

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(More customer reviews)I used to work at Second City myself and I really liked reading this book. I think Sheldon Patinkin did a very good job of covering the history of the place and his examination of the various changes in style and attitude is very interesting and informative. I wish there were more random memories from alumni and staffers, though. I think the quotes give you more a feel for the place on a personal level and besides that, they're very fun to read. I would also highly recommend the book, "Something Wonderful Right Away", a book that got me and many of my friends interested in the place long before we worked there.

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The Legacy of the Wisecrack: Stand-up Comedy as the Great American Literary Form Review

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(More customer reviews)The following review has been posted here on behalf of its author, Izuu Nwankwo (PhD student, Nigeria)
There are very few scholarly books on stand-up acts and Tafoya's work remains the most current and insightful. Many books on stand-up comedy tend to be promotional, aimed mostly to serve as developmental guides for upcoming stand-up comedians. In Tafoya's the use of existing theory and criticism is at once innovative and groundbreaking, in stand-up comedy research. I find this book useful especially in the creative and convincing way it has manipulated the Freudian concepts of the id and the super-ego, in the understanding of how jokes make us laugh. One other thing that makes this work outstanding is the conversational manner in which the book is written. While we read, we are aware at the back of our minds that this is a scholarly work written by a practising stand-up comedian. In my view, this makes for a much more pleasurable reading as we get a grip on how and why stand-up comedy can also be categorised as literature. I have found this book indispensable in my own research due to the overall background information it carries with it. As such I believe it is a catalyst for further research, not only into stand-up, but also into other emergent popular performances and literature.

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Despite the claim of many a Borscht Belt comic that he is a practitioner of "the world's second-oldest professsion," stand-up comedy is a young and distinctly American literary form. It was not until the last decades of the nineteenth century when, enabled by unprecedented prosperity and the right to free expression, that monologists began appearing in American vaudeville halls. Yet even though it has since become an entertainment industry mainstay, stand-up comedy has received precious little scholarly attention.The Legacy of the Wisecrack: Stand-up Comedy as the Great American Literary Form looks at the theory of stand-up comedy, its literary dimensions, and its distinctly American qualities as it provides a detailed history of the forces that shaped it. The study concludes with a look at the works of specific comedians such as Steven Wright, whose three decades of performances comprise a single picaresque tale, and Richard Pryor, whose 1982 masterpiece Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip serves as modern America's answer to Dante Aligheri's epic poem, Inferno. The result is one of the first serious treatments of stand-up comedy as a literary form.

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