Northwest Ohio Comedy

Friday, April 30, 2010

Catching Dave Dyer's Act

Comedian Dave Dyer headlined a multi-comic act Tuesday night at Grumpy Dave's Pub.

A Grand Rapids, Mich. native, Dyer pokes fun that he was the unsuccessful son in a four-child home.

Below is an audio clip featuring snippets of Dyer's act and interviews after the performance featuring owner Steve Sabo and operation and acquisition manager Tim Hoyt of Inside Joke Productions.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Audiences pour out billions for comedy

Comedy always laughs to the bank.

Each year, millions of Americans and billions of dollars are spent on comedy movies.

Whether we go to escape the reality of the cruel world or visit the theaters to change our lousy moods, Hollywood can always count on comedy to rake in the big bucks.

Just recently, 2009 breakout movie "The Hangover" received the distinction of being the top-grossing, R-rated comedy film ever. The movie brought in $277 million and ranks third among all R-rated movies ever.

Movies use the term "gross," which means the total income generated from the movie prior to deducting expenses such as production and actor costs.

Other 2009 movies ranking grossing high include "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" with $177 million, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" with $146 million, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" with $122 million and "Couples Retreat with $107 million.

"Julia & Julia," "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," "Zombieland," "Hotel for Dogs," and "I Love You, Man" grossing $71 million round out the top ten from last year.

Outside of "The Hangover," 2009 fails in comparison to other comedy movies in years past.

Here is a list of the top-grossing comedies of all time with the figures adjusted for inflation, according to Hollywood.com.

One note of interest: No. 10's "Meet the Fockers" is the only movie in the top 10 from the past decade.

Rank	Title	Gross Domestic Box Office	Adjusted Gross Domestic Box Office¹
1	Beverly Hills Cop (Paramount / 1984)	$234,760,478	$433,887,669
2	Home Alone (20th Century Fox / 1990)	$281,493,907	$413,257,012
3	Tootsie (Columbia Pictures / 1982)	$177,200,000	$409,075,093
4	Blazing Saddles (Warner Brothers / 1974)	$119,500,000	$404,656,100
5	National Lampoon's Animal House (Universal Pictures / 1978)	$141,600,000	$383,297,700
6	Mrs. Doubtfire (20th Century Fox / 1993)	$219,194,773	$321,796,582
7	Three Men and a Baby (Touchstone Pictures / 1987)	$167,780,960	$310,095,167
8	Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (New Line Cinema / 1999)	$205,444,716	$305,218,107
9	Beverly Hills Cop 2 (Paramount Pictures / 1987)	$151,663,265	$280,306,213
10	Meet the Fockers (Universal Pictures / 2004)	$279,167,575	$279,167,575
11	Liar Liar (Universal Pictures / 1997)	$181,395,380	$269,489,309
12	There's Something About Mary (20th Century Fox / 1998)	$176,484,651	$262,193,704
13	My Big Fat Greek Wedding (IFC Films / 2002)	$241,437,427	$258,059,625
14	Porky's (20th Century Fox / 1982)	$111,289,673	$256,917,795
15	Home Alone 2 (20th Century Fox / 1992)	$172,676,450	$253,503,724
16	Look Who's Talking (Tristar Pictures / 1989)	$136,950,770	$253,114,370
17	Bruce Almighty (Universal Pictures / 2003)	$242,589,580	$249,831,060
18	Big Daddy (Columbia Pictures / 1999)	$163,479,795	$242,873,093
19	The Waterboy (Touchstone Pictures / 1998)	$161,487,252	$239,912,879
20	9 to 5 (20th Century Fox / 1980)	$103,290,500	$238,451,303
21	Coming to America (Paramount Pictures / 1988)	$128,113,607	$236,781,399
22	Stir Crazy (Columbia Pictures / 1980)	$101,300,000	$233,856,134
23	Austin Powers in Goldmember (New Line Cinema / 2002)	$213,079,163	$227,748,985
24	Trading Places (Paramount Pictures / 1983)	$90,404,800	$208,704,018
25	Stripes (Columbia Pictures / 1981)	$85,297,000	$196,912,405
	TOTALS	$4,287,081,722	$7,169,107,020

Friday, April 16, 2010

Improv props up at BGSU

Dozens of students entertained an audience and donated money to charity during the Ninth Annual Improv-A-Thon.

In front of the Union on Friday, theatre honorary fraternity Theta Alpha Phi hosted a 10-hour charity marathon of improv, or the act of performing comedy without any preparation.

Any student buying a T-shirt could participate in the sketches.

A portion of the funds received will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, said Justin Campbell, senior and fraternity member.

“It’s a lot of fun. I love improv comedy even though I’m not good at it,” Campbell said.

The event is a success each year because of the positive reaction from students and their overwhelming participation in the comedic sketches, Campbell said.

“This is one of the best things I have ever done and it’s something that is really unique,” he said.
Some of the skits performed during this year’s Star Trek-themed Improv-A-Thon include:

• Kenny: “Kenny” acts as the person no one likes in a group of friends, yet always invites himself out. The performers play out a scene depicting the awkward situation.
• The Dating Game: Similar to the popular TV game show, contestants act out question-and-answer segments.
• The Party Game: Students guess what weird objects people bring to a party.
• Don Pardo: In honor of the former game show announcer, students play charades to guess wacky prizes.

This is one of the fraternity’s biggest events or fundraisers of the year, said Pat Mahood, senior and fraternity member.

“It definitely takes a lot of work and effort to get it done,” he said. “It’s sort of an endurance trial of imrpov.”

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The greatest TV skit ever

Just because it's my blog and I can post whatever I want:

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Great clubs stretching past northwest Ohio

Earlier this week, Northwest Ohio Comedy took a look at the comedy venues in and around northwest Ohio.

But comedy stretches much farther than the heartland of America.

Wondering where some of the funniest comedians perform?

In 2005, USA Today writers traveled across the country to the find the elitists of comedy clubs.

And after traveling to hundreds of clubs and listening to dozens of experts, the newpspaer compiled what they believed to be the top-ten clubs in the United States.

Here is their list of the craziest chuckle clubs:

The Laugh Factory, Los Angeles, 323-656-1336

Richard Pryor got his start here, Saturday Night Live alum Jon Lovitz holds forth on Wednesday nights and Fox TV's Comic Strip Live is taped here on Saturdays. "So many comedians move to Hollywood, (the club) always has a good choice" of headliners.

The Punch Line, San Francisco, 415-397-7573,

Margaret Cho, Dave Chapelle and other cutting-edge stars have graced the Punch Line, which bills itself as the city's longest-running and only full-time comedy club.

Gotham, New York, 212-367-9000

Its chic ambience ices the cake of decent prices and good sight lines. When comics are happy, the crowds are, too.

The Comedy Club at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, 609-317-1000

A "tremendous room" in both senses, it's also a rarity — it holds about 900 people. The room boasts tiered seating and "understated, classy décor."

The Riviera Comedy Club, Las Vegas, 877-892-7469

Booked "consistently well" by Steve Schirripa (who plays Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri on HBO's The Sopranos), this club "always has three or four comics on the bill, usually from L.A. or New York.

The Punchline, Atlanta, 404-252-5233

This might be the best club in the country, with its top acts and a room that holds "185 rabid comedy fans." The stage that has featured such stars as Robin Williams.

Hilarities 4th Street Theatre, Cleveland, 216-241-7425

The old Hilarities Comedy Hall helped revive the city's historic Warehouse District; its successor is part of a restaurant and entertainment facility. Although the theater can hold up to 425 guests, it still feels intimate.

Charlie Goodnight's, Raleigh, N.C., 919-828-5233

A lot of stand-up comics come from the South, and they'll base themselves here, or Atlanta or Chattanooga. The greats and near-greats have autographed the stage wall, where one yukster scrawled, "Raleigh: Where Barney Fife goes to party.

Bear's Place Ale House & Eatery, Bloomington, Ind., 812-339-3460

This one, just off the Indiana University campus, presents its "Comedy Caravan" only two nights a week, but it gets packed, and everybody who's anybody in comedy has played there — there are pictures of them on the walls.

Note: Comix Cafe, located in Tonawanda, N.Y. shut down and no longer exists. It was on the top 10 list.