What About Jim?

Fresh off the lowest point of his career since his Rubberface days, Jim Carrey is poised for a massive late-career comedic breakthrough. He's back on board for the on-and-off Ripley's Believe it or Not, he's joining Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Isla Fisher, and Jonah Hill voicing Horton Hears a Who, and most exciting of all, he's now attached to star in a new script from Upright Citizen Ian Roberts and writing partner Jay Martel, and surprise, it sounds pretty effin' funny. Me Time would star Carrey as a writer working on a biography for his great-great-grandmother, whose tough-as-nails frontier lifestyle makes him take a hard look at his less-than-masculine lifestyle. The spec script has been picked up by Fox, which doesn't necessarily mean anything, but Carrey's involvement should be enough to propel it into it theaters.

Roberts and Martel have been keeping insanely busy, seemingly sending spec scripts to every studio in America, including Dad Can't Lose for Will Arnett, Worst Friends, and Air Guitar. So far, they've had lots of pick-ups, but there's been no solid production news.

Meanwhile, the second season of Upright Citizens Brigade is finally on its way to stores, and Roberts will join Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, and Matt Walsh at their LA theater this Saturday to record a live commentary for two of the episodes.

LINK

TBS Gives New Web Shows to Every Comedian Ever

TBS has launched a new broadband channel called Super Deluxe, which aims to be the largest website of its kind and will surely provide our ongoing Battle of the Cheap-Ass Web Shows with some stiff competition.

"Cheap-ass" couldn't apply enough here, as nearly every webisode we took time to watch couldn't possibly have cost more than a good toothbrush. But TBS may have finally found the secret to web-TV success. They've taken all the money they could have spent on expensive sets, costumes, special effects, or even writers, and they've just called up a fucking laundry list of alternative and underground comedians and let them do whatever they want.

The lineup already features Dave Foley, Eugene Mirman, Maria Bamford, and dozens of rising performers and sketch troupes. The comics seem to be able to upload whatever they want, however often they want, and they've already fallen into semi-regular programming such as Foley's Can't Sleep, a show he seems to literally film in his bedroom after his wife falls asleep. Meanwhile, Mirman hosts a talk show from the moon in Space Talk from the Planet Eugene. Clicking around the many, many offerings, we couldn't exactly find anything hilarious yet, although Bamford's one-woman camera-mugging "my mother freaks me out" routine is far better than it sounds on paper.

But this is just the beginning, and TBS has high hopes for the future, continuing to add even bigger (funnier?) celebrities to their roster, including David Cross and Bob Odenkirk (separately, not reunited), Horatio Sanz, Dave Attell, Jay Johnston, and even Wayne Brady. We'll safely bet that the recent rumor about UCB's Matt Besser working on a TBS project had something to do with this too.

It's cheap, it's messy, and it's not even on real TV, but let that all sink in for a minute. Key members of Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall, and Upright Citizens Brigade have brand new recurring shows for you. There's bound to be something funny in there somewhere, right?

The so-called professional clips will mix in with viewer-submitted content, all of which is subject to the same user rating system, putting everyone on an equal playing field, which is actually kind of cool. Expect CBS' Innervision, Comedy Central's Motherload, and all the other billions of online stations popping up all over the place, to attempt to match TBS' gusto.

This Week in Funny 2/5/07-2/11/07

Monday, February 5:

Tom Lennon and Ben Garant on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)
P.J. O’Rourke on Tavis Smiley (PBS)

Tuesday, February 6:



New on DVD: The Science of Sleep (click here to buy)
New on DVD: Running With Scissors (click here to buy)
New Campus Ladies: “Foreign Exchange” (Oxygen)
Naked Trucker on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)

Wednesday, February 7:



New The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show: “Gold Watch” (Comedy Central)
Chris Elliott on Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Jonathan Katz on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC)
Bob Saget on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)

Thursday, February 8:

New My Name is Earl: “Blow” (NBC)
New The Office: “Phyllis’ Wedding” (NBC)
New Scrubs: “My Road to Nowhere” (NBC)
New 30 Rock: “Up All Night” (NBC)
New The Sarah Silverman Program: “Humanitarian of the Year” with guest star Zach Galifianakis (Comedy Central)
Steve Martin on The Ellen Degeneres Show (Syndicated)

Friday, February 9:

New Monk: “Mr. Monk Visits a Farm” (USA)
New Psych: “Cloudy Chance of Murder” (USA)
Tenacious D on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)

Sunday, February 11:



New The Simpsons: “Little Big Girl” (FOX)
New King of the Hill: “SerPunt” (FOX)
New Extras: "Episode 11" with Ian McKellen (HBO)
Series Premiere Saul of the Mole Men (Adult Swim/Cartoon Network)
Series Premiere Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! (Adult Swim/Cartoon Network)

Live Comedy Watch:



2/5/07-2/6/07: Ricky Gervais at Brighton Centre in Brighton, UK
2/5/07: Matt Besser and Andrew Daly host America’s Best Comic at UCB Theatre in LA
2/5/07: Paul F. Tompkins, Dana Gould, and Andy Kindler at Largo in LA
2/6/07: Laugh Don’t Destroy with Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman, and Jon Benjamin at Union Hall in Brooklyn
2/6/07: Comedy Death-Ray with Patton Oswalt, Greg Proops, and Aziz Ansari at UCB Theatre in LA
2/6/07: See You Next Tuesday with Paul F. Tompkins and Morgan Murphy at UCB Theatre in LA
2/7/07: Ricky Gervais at New Theatre in Oxford, UK
2/7/07: Invite Them Up with Eugene Mirman at Rififi in NYC
2/7/07: Show & Tell with Andrew Daly and Hard ‘N Phirm at UCB Theatre in LA
2/7/07-2/8/07: Maria Bamford at Irvine Improv in Irvine, CA
2/8/07-2/9/07: Jerry Seinfeld at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN
2/8/07-2/9/07: Ricky Gervais at Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, UK
2/8/07: Human Giant, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Andy Blitz at UCB Theatre in LA
2/9/07-2/10/07: Sarah Silverman at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, CA
2/10/07: Nick Swardson at Spreckles Theater in San Diego, CA
2/10/07: The Thrilling Adventure and Supernatural Suspense Hour with Paul F. Tompkins and Dave “Gruber” Allen at Mbar in LA
2/11/07: Tearing the Veil of Maya with Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman, and Tig at Union Hall in Brooklyn
2/11/07: Sarah Silverman at the Showbox in Seattle, WA
2/11/07: Free ASSSSCAT at UCB Theatre in LA
2/11/07: Free ASSSSCAT at UCB Theatre in NYC

Matt Besser Explains UCB Delays, Wants Your Songs

The Upright Citizens Brigade's Matt Besser has a new MySpace page, which he promises to pack full of new exclusive videos such as the Catching Friends webisodes, where MySpace Tom explains how to attract friends to your profile by lying about your interests. More importantly, he's provided information on the status of the second season of the UCB's sketch comedy show, and the entirely improvised UCB movie, Wild Girls Gone. Both of these projects have been in limbo for a long, long time, so this should cause a giant sigh of relief for fans of the alternative comedy troupe.

Comedy Central will release Upright Citizens Brigade: The Complete Second Season this fall, and Besser has put out an APB for fan-created music to be part of the DVD extras. The new collection comes not a moment too soon, since the first season has been out for over three years. Presumably the third and final season won't take nearly as long.

He also explains that Wild Girls Gone, which was filmed about a billion years ago, has been in a long, painful editing process to whittle down the enormous amounts of footage they shot, and could finally see a release as early as this summer. The film stars Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Amy Poehler in a story of a small-town dance contest that gets mixed up with a start-up amateur porn video. It also features a laundry list of up-and-comers that UCB Theatre visitors should be more than familiar with, including Rob Riggle, Andrew Daly, Rob Huebel, Danielle Schneider, John Ross Bowie, and Jamie Denbo. There's no word on theatrical distribution, but Besser says they're prepared to sell the DVD directly through their website.

Besser will also be seen alongside Chris Kattan and Brian Posehn later this year in Undead or Alive, playing the sheriff in an Old West town plagued by zombies.

This Week in Funny - 1/15/07 - 1/21/07

Monday, January 15:



The cast of Little Miss Sunshine on The Ellen Degeneres Show
Amy Sedaris on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

Tuesday, January 16:

New on DVD: Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt’s The Animation Show 1&2 Box Set (click here to buy)
New Campus Ladies: “Safety First” (Oxygen)
Tracy Morgan and Jim Gaffigan on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC)

Wednesday, January 17:



Series Premiere The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show: “Demo Tape” (Comedy Central)
Tina Fey on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Naked Trucker & T-Bones on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)

Thursday, January 18:

New My Name is Earl: “Kept a Guy Locked in a Truck” (NBC)
New The Office: “The Return” (NBC)
New Scrubs: “My Musical” (NBC)
New 30 Rock: “The Head and the Hair” (NBC)
Harry Shearer on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Chevy Chase on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)
Tony Shalhoub on Live With Regis and Kelly

Friday, January 19:



Season Premiere Monk: “Mr. Monk Meets a Friend” w/ guest star Andy Richter (USA)
Season Premiere Psych: “Forget Me Not” (USA)
Sarah Silverman on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)

Sunday, January 21:

New Extras: Episode 2.2 with David Bowie (HBO)

Live Comedy Watch:



1/15: Rob Corddry at the UCB Theater in LA
1/16: Zach Galifianakis and Matt Besser at the UCB Theater in LA
1/16-1/19: Tenacious D in Australia
1/17-1/19: Ricky Gervais at Festival Theater in Edinburgh, UK
1/17 Fred Armisen at the UCB Theater in NYC
1/18 Human Giant at the UCB Theater in LA
1/19 Jim Gaffigan at Lyric Opera House in Baltimore
1/20 Jim Gaffigan at Taft Theater in Cincinnati
1/20 The Tomorrow Show at the Steve Allen Theater in LA
1/21 Free ASSSSCAT show at the UCB Theater in LA
1/21 Free ASSSSCAT show at the UCB Theater in NYC

Sketchfest Fever!

If you're in the San Francisco area, and have a cushy job that allows you to afford the exorbidant ticket prices, you'll definitely want to check out the 2007 SF Sketchfest, kicking off this Thursday and going through the end of January.

The festival features performances, sketch games, workshops, interviews, and more, with appearances by Stella, Rob Corddry, Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin, Eugene Mirman, A.D. Miles, David Cross, Maria Bamford, Doug Benson, Paul F. Tompkins, Todd Barry, Hard n' Phirm, Todd Glass, Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, Paul Reubens, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Sean Conroy, Bob Odenkirk, and Bruce McCulloch, plus a tribute to Mitch Hedberg. In other words, "Damn!"

For the full schedule, look here.

If you attend the Sketchfest, please drop the Comedyblog an e-mail with your write-up and we'll run it as a special eye-witness bulletin. And yeah, we can put a link to your dumb MySpace profile if you want.