Cheech and Chong light up TBPAC on 9/28

Cheech and Chong come to TBPAC's Morsani Hall on 9/28 with their Light Up America ... tour.

Onsale information:
Music Today and Tier 1 TBPAC donors: 8/26 at 12n
Tier 2 TBPAC donors: 8/27 at 12n
General public: 8/29 at 4:20pm

Tickets are $39.50 and $59.50.

This show was just added to a whole slate of great stand-up comedians and spoken word artists coming up at the end of Sept./start of oct. including:

Margaret Cho - 9/25
Henry Rollins - 9/29
Lewis Black - 10/3
Joel McHale - 10/4

YouTubesday: Daniel Tosh

This hilarious comedian plays TBPAC in less than two weeks - April 5 in Ferguson Hall. Some tickets still remain!

Daniel Tosh - on sale 2/9 at noon!

Comedian Daniel Tosh plays Ferguson Hall on April 5 at 8pm. The show goes on sale this Saturday - tomorrow - at noon.

I spent a chunk of time on YouTube trying to find a video of his stand-up that was clean enough to post on this blog. Wow. That was a challenge.

I ended up finding a clip of him on a radio show, where he actually talks about the difficulty of airing his comedy in the land of very stiff FCC fines. Check it out.



Also, after a bit of digging, it seems many young fans of comedy are dividing up into camps - one who claims Tosh is king, the other who feel that honor belongs to Dane Cook.

I might argue that honor belongs to the likes of Carlin, Pryor, Foxx, Bruce or even Hicks - but maybe I'm showing my age.

Is This Thing On?

Come see the latest group of developing comedians at Is This Thing On?, a showcase by the Stand-up Comedy students of the Patel Conservatory. This is the sixth term of successful comedians to 'walk the plank' at Patel.

Performing under the name “The Patel Standup Comics,” the students perform on Monday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. at The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Shimberg Playhouse.

After eight weeks of analyzing, writing, creating, destroying and reworking material, these students will meet the challenge of eliciting chuckles in a 90-minute performance hosted by local comedy vet and instructor "ranney."

Instructor "ranney" is the stand-up comedy, spoken word and scene-study instructor for the Patel Conservatory. "ranney" is an international comedian/poet who has headlined London's The Comedy Store, Dublin's The Comedy Cellar, and various venues at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. "ranney" was the premier comedian at Laff Tuesdays at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. As a spoken word artist, "ranney" won the Universal Poets competition in 2000 and was nominated Best International Poet 2003 by the Farrago Poetry Group of London. "ranney" has developed and performed nine one man shows, with the last one, "Cufflinks and Jolly Ranchers for Dummies" performed nightly at the Underbelly at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The tenth, "The Black Plague" will premiere soon.

Is This Thing On? will contain explicit language and themes. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through The Center Ticket Office at 813.229.STAR.

Defending the Caveman TV spot

This show will be here at TBPAC 12/12-16.

DL on HBO Saturday night!

D.L. Hughley will be premiering a new comedy special on HBO this Saturday night (check your local listings for details) - his fourth special for HBO, which is within itself an accomplishment. The special will also be released on video (including Netflix) on 9/25.

Once you've watched the special, you may be so inclined to pick up a ticket for his Nov. 4 appearance at TBPAC. I think this is DL's 3rd trip through TBPAC since I started working here in 1999. As a matter of fact, we've had all of the Kings of Comedy here on more than once occasion.

I've never heard a comedian take down hecklers the way I saw DL do it that first time. I can't even repeat any of them here, being a corporate blog an everything, but his act is well worth the price of admission!

Brian Regan on going to the doctor

My eyesight starting going all wonky yesterday around 4 in the afternoon. Real bright white spots, everything within 3 to 5 feet looked blurry while everything far away still looked fine. It was ultimately resolved by putting my sunglasses on for half an hour.

I was again reminded how freaked out I get anytime I think something is wrong with me, how distrustful I am of the medical field, and how I hate doctors. This, in turn, reminded me of this bit of Brian Regan's stand-up. It's ok to watch at work, he's about as family-friendly as a comedian gets.

Stand-up comedy 'final' for Patel Conservatory course

See the below email from "ranney" - local actor, author, director and teacher. I've seen his solo act, as well as las year's class final. It's all worth checking out. C'mon, it's only $5, and what else are you doing on a Mondya night?

Come and see the latest class of stand-up comedy grads do their thing. They've been working hard the last 10 weeks (ten weeks of abuse from me; you should come and hand them medals for that alone), and this is a really funny group of ladies and gentlemen.

I'll spoil the suspense now: you will be offended by someone. If I've done a half decent job, we all will be offended by the end of the evening. Lighten up and come take a few punchlines. This is the most diverse group I've had and they need your support.

SOAPBOX MOMENT: Not everywhere, but many places treat stand-up comedy like a bastard artform and then, all of a sudden, everybody wants a comedian to host, sell products, spice up their speeches, etc. I've heard countless performing artist say "It takes such guts! I could never do that." But then they never come out and support comedy (If it doesn't apply, let it fly). Look, this an always evolving artform. Many a comedian is creating - in collaboration with you, the audience - their work right in front of you with the pressure of making a room full of strangers of different backgrounds and personalities laugh. It is ironically helpful when that audience is sizeable and loud (with laughter).

enuf.

Come, bring some peeps, and send some peeps.

And hey, join us for some drinks at The Hub afterwards!

be well and tranquil.

incontrovertably,

"r"

www.itsranney.com

www.myspace.com/mrfunnyblackman

-dj