A lifetime’s worth of humiliation is born. It’s a scene from an R-rated coming-of-age comedy, except it’s not. It’s a true story told by Mary Shapshay, a writer for the Huffington Post.

Storytelling shows are hot these days. In this Age of the Overshare, we crave and expect unfiltered, honest information—the more intimately mortifying, the better. And with compelling story spinners at the helm, the smallest pieces of personal history can make for a funny, heartwarming and enlightening theatrical experience.

Don’t Tell My Mother!, hosted by 20th Century Fox producer and funny lady Nikki Levy, is one such event. An able host who strikes the perfect confessional, loving, and playful tone for the evening, Levy reaffirms why storytelling shows like The Moth and RISK are as popular as they are.

I had the pleasure of catching the Mother’s Day edition and, considering the show is framed as stories you’d never want your mother to know, it was especially fitting. And wholly satisfying. Some highlights included:

• The sustained humiliation of spending each of your birthdays with your mother, physically re-creating your actual moment of birth.

• Finding a stack of porno magazines in the woods behind your little league field, only to have your father catch you burying them in the back yard and forcing you to return them.

• Accidentally sharing a magic mushroom omelet with your bible-thumping Christian cousin, taking her to a Walmart to blow off some steam and finding her weeping about frozen peas.

• Caring for your food-poisoned-by-bad-crab mother on a trip home to receive an award from your high school.

Don’t Tell My Mother is playing Thursday, June 7 at the Comedy Central Stage (free admission).

Adam Lustick is a writer and comedian living in LA.

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Christmas – the biggest birthday party of the year. Filled with eccentric relatives, questionable sweaters and indoor trees, Jesus’ big day is a weird ordeal for everyone except for Jews. And as birthday celebrations go, it dwarfs all others – whose is even close to being as recognized? Mary Steenburgen’s? I wish. Us non-Messiahs are relegated to renting out batting cages, blasting out evites and pretending to appreciate that snap bracelet from Aunt Kathy.

With all due respect to Patton Oswalt, who has bravely suggested that there are but a handful of birthdays worth celebrating, I’d like to propose a new birthday celebration policy: none. Enough with the birthdays. The passage of time is not an accomplishment worth acknowledging, not a feat to be honored – it’s only the temporary absence of death, inevitable and impending , rendering those latex balloons and whimsical wrapping paper an absurd symbol of insignificance. Time marches on and, for another year, we’ve done nothing to slow it. Enjoy your cupcake.

Truthfully, the very function of the birthday eludes me. What is the tangible benefit to knowing your date of birth? To measure the passage of time? There are plenty of time-measuring devices – for example, a watch or clock – that tracking your personal age becomes mostly a source of anxiety with no greater cultural function. To symbolize one’s uniqueness? A half million people are born every day, each with wildly different strengths and weaknesses, yet we insist on assigning the day of our birth with acres of personality-defining, idiosyncrasy-validating significance. “I’m June 15, which makes a ton of sense once you get to know me”. No it doesn’t and I won’t get to know you.

A hypothetical: Jerry and Gerry are identical twins. Jerry grows up knowing his birthday, Gerry doesn’t. What’s the discernable difference in their quality of life? I would submit an enthusiastic ‘Hell none’. If anything, Gerry is shrouded in a cloud of mystery, making him irresistibly alluring to men and women alike. My friend Seth doesn’t know his birthday and he seems both ageless and invincible.

Not to mention gifts. Turning 34 isn’t hard enough without a slew of $34 Applebee’s gift cards? Does that Nautica scarf really warm the existential chill of knowing your body and mind are gradually deteriorating? If we bottled all the mental and emotional energy spent on the acquisition of arbitrary goods for people we barely know, we’d have a weird big bottle. So maybe let’s not bottle it. (Note: I hold irrationally ill will towards the gift-giving-and-receiving paradigm due to the fact that I am ABYSMAL at buying people gifts. For my girlfriend’s birthday last year, I gave her an oversized Richard Scarry book which I thought was cute. She frowned and cried and the next day it was gone. In fact, the “frown-cry-and-discard” has been the standard response to most of my gifts. Abysmal.).

So, as a remedy for the over-celebration of our random days of origin, allow to me to propose:  Birth Day. One day, everyone’s birthday. August 11^th (why not? August is due for a major holiday). Like Christmas, but less snowy. And while Birth Day could adopt the ethos of Christmas – family, community, yada and yada – I believe there to be a process that’s more streamlined and equally “fun”. Imagine this regiment to be United Nations-sanctioned and occurring simultaneously around the globe.

Birth Day

9AM – Breakfast at local parking lot. Mess hall tents with hot buffets and picnic tables. Eggs, french toast, coffee – like craft services for a movie, or nicer-than-average army barracks. Modest flower arrangements peppered throughout and a karaoke band that takes requests from citizens oldest to youngest. A staff of enthusiastic youths are available to transcribe and deliver personalized Birth Day messages for a nominal fee.

11AM – Birth Day Activities. Aforementioned enthusiastic youths lead Birth Day citizens through a series of 15-minute activity stations.

– Batting Cage

– Naming of the Year’s Regrets

– NBA Jam (arcade version)

– Nap

– Phone chat with Mom (aka Re-hashing of the Regrets)

– Discarding of the Applebee’s Gift Cards

– Nap again

1PM – Lunch. Citizens are fed one slice of pizza, one bag of Fritos and one cup of Cherry Coke. Except he/she with the highest NBA Jam score, who has the option for Sprite.

3PM – Gift Retrieval. Citizens walk – single file and silently – to the closest post office or bus stop, where there is an orderly pile of wrapped gifts, one gift per-person (Note: children under 5 receive no gift. Their brains are small and they’re clumsy – no gift). Once each citizen has chosen and unwrapped their gift, there is a 15-minute Bartering Block, in which gifts can be traded amongst the masses. If you don’t end up with something you like by the end of the Bartering Block, too bad. Sometimes life is hard. Happy Birthday.

5PM – Citizens re-convene at the Mess Hall for a sing along, consisting of one round of “Happy Birthday” with a name chosen at random to be inserted into the appropriate spot. Enthusiastic youths read personalized messages aloud and all are given one more cup of Cherry Coke.

7PM – Bedtime. You’re older now. Go to sleep.

Doesn’t that sound like a fun, efficient use of our compulsion to celebrate a random day 9 months after one of the times our parents had sex? If Birth Day goes well, we can extend it to Birth Week. Like Holy Week, but more birth-y.

So, this Christmas, as you enjoy your boozy egg nog and watch the NBA (thank god), send a wish up to Santa Claus for no more birthdays. Just Birth Day. And imagine what you’ll do with all that mental space hitherto used to acknowledge everybody’s every birthday forever. You could help me find that Richard Scarry book. Shouldn’t be hard – it’s way oversized.

The post Christmas: A Seasonal Reminder Of How Birthdays Are Dumb appeared first on Jewcy.

Jill Soloway is as prolific a writer as she is funny. Besides penning episodes for Six Feet Under, Dirty Sexy Money, The Oblongs and Grey’s Anatomy, Jill was the executive producer and showrunner of The United States of Tara and has had two books published: the novella Jodi K and a collection of stories called Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants. Also, Jill and her sister Faith made a name for themselves with a show The Real Live Brady Bunch – live re-creations of Brady Bunch episodes – and for this, they are blessed. Currently living in LA, Jill created the storytelling show Sit n’ Spin, which draws some of LA’s top talent, and is involved with a group called East Side Jews – a collective of artists who throw Jew-centric get-togethers around the City of Angels.

Jill Soloway: doing it all, so we don’t have to.

What was the origin of East Side Jews?

A group of people who live in Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Echo Park recognized that the East Side was a veritable jew desert so we banded together to do something about it– reinventing ritual and cultural investigations at unlikely venues.

Sit n Spin has become something of an LA institution. What was surprising?

Someone smoked pot onstage once. A few years ago there was a disagreement between performers about whether or not it was okay to make fun of Anne Frank and there was an email threat that necessitated a call to the LAPD. Mostly the fact that 10 years later it’s still going strong.

Who are your favorite contemporary comedy writers?

Louis CK,  Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, Lena Dunham.

I read that Kathy Najimy is a role model of yours. Have you gotten the chance to tell her?

Of course! She’s now a good friend. She’s funny, she’s a feminist, she’s a superhero.

I know you’ve written a few episodes of The Oblongs. I loved that show. Are there particular challenges in writing for animation?

Just that sometimes the art would come back from Korea and it would be totally wrong and you would have to cut it rather than change it because you’d be out of time.

The Real Live Brady Bunch is such a genius idea. I would love to start the rumor of a revival. Do you and Faith have plans to bring any other TV shows to the stage? Or vice versa?

Faith and I tossed around some ideas for a musical yesterday. A few people came back from seeing Book of Mormon and told us it was not as good as the stuff we used to do. REVIVAL!

The post The Big Jewcy: Jill Soloway – Writer/Producer, Making Things Happen On LA’s East Side appeared first on Jewcy.

Some people’s talents make me laugh. Others’ make me think. Tim Bierbaum is so  talented it makes me puke. Illustrator and graphic designer extraordinnaire, writer and performer with stellar sketch comedy group Serious Lunch, director of short films, commercials and webserieses, internet genius who broke the news that Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show set more than resembled Super Mario Bros – Tim Bierbaum is a swiss army knife of skills that makes me wish I were him.

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Faryn Einhorn is a Jane-of-all-trades: sketch comedian with Harvard Sailing Team, casting director for HBO’s Bored to Death, baker of baked goods with her sweets company Fanny & Jane, and proud wearer of blond curly hair. Is there anything she can’t do? Yes. Watch scary movies. But that’s it.

And here’s one of Faryn dancing…

The post The Big Jewcy: Faryn Einhorn – Baked Goods/Bored To Death/Sketch Comedy/Probably Everything Else appeared first on Jewcy.

I got the chance to ask Mike some first-rate questions and he answered them all. In English, no less.

What writers did you admire growing up and who are your favorite contemporary comedy writers?

Growing Up: National Lampoon’s Doug Kenney and Michael O’Donoghue; Al Jaffee of MAD; Stephen Leacock; Stephen King; Richard Matheson; Robert Bloch; David Sedaris; Mark Leyner; Woody Allen; Vladimir Nabokov; Richard Yates; Jerzy Kosinski; Dennis Potter; George Carlin; Merrill Markoe; Chris Elliott; Jean Shepherd; the Onion; Gary Larson; Steve Martin; Daniel Clowes.

Now: Still all of the above. As for particular favorites, I love David Sedaris. He’s brilliant. Also, I’m on sort of a Patricia Highsmith jag now, although I guess that really isn’t comedy, per se, what with the killings, beheadings and suicides and all. Maybe it is. Who knows.

Are you right or left handed? Why?

I’m neither. I learned from a very young age to draw with my feet. Never did learn to type with them, however.

What’s the last DVD you watched?

The American version of “Let Me In.” I really enjoyed it, but still don’t fully understand what the vampire sub-plot was all about.

Who’s the smartest person you’ve ever interviewed? Smelliest?

Smartest: The guy who invented the cheese-in-the-crust pizza.
Smelliest: The guy who lives in my attic. Nice guy.

Do you wish you had a different name? If so, what? If not, are you sure?

Always wanted to have the name of “Dr. Pump.” Parents didn’t think it sounded Jewish enough.

Have you read your own book? Do you like it?

No, just don’t have the time to read anymore. Mostly just watch TV and microwave hot-pockets. Heard it’s good, though.

What are your 5 favorite websites?

splitsider.com
dangerousminds.net
avclub.com
longform.org
http://www.flipflopflyin.com/flipflopflyball/infographics.html

What web domain name do you wish you owned?

I-love-mayonnaise.gov

What size fitted hat are you?

Ever see the Darby O’Gill movie about the leprechaun who wears a shamrock-encrusted fedora? That size.

Favorite comedy TV show on right now?

Well, I like all the usual suspects, such as “Parks and Rec,” “30 Rock,” and “Modern Family.” Love Letterman, but I have to say that the following bit on Jimmy Fallon made me laugh harder than anything I’ve seen in the past few months:

Are your parents writers and/or comedians? What did they want you to be?

No, neither of my parents ever wrote comedy, but they’re funny. For some reason, and I don’t know why, they always wanted me to work as a social director on a cruise. It just fit my winning, vivacious personality. I love to mingle with strangers in bathing suits, too—especially the above-55 crowd.

How has your sex life changed since publishing your sex book?

Hasn’t changed much, truthfully. Still sleeping with the above-55 crowd.

How much cash do you have on you right now?

I got a stack of ones that are thicker than a Big Mac. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’m saying that I’m very, very rich. Now (apropos of nothing) here is a clip from one of my favorite Jewish-themed movies, A Stranger Among Us.

Everybody. Dance. NOW!

The post The Big Jewcy: Mike Sacks – Respects Nabokov As A Fellow Comedy Writer appeared first on Jewcy.

LA-native who is self-described as “9 feet tall and 6 pounds”, Rose Surnow is a funny lady on the rise. With her propensity for self-deprecation, she’s the more charming version of your awkward next door neighbor. The third Monday of every month, Rose hosts a stand-up show called Smooth Moves at Bruar Falls in Williamsburg that attracts some of the best comics in town.

Rose has also written and starred in some hilarious videos that highlight her delightful weirdness and can most aptly be described as “funny” and “on the internet.”  Get to know her before she’s a zillionaire.

The post The Big Jewcy: Rose Surnow – “9 Feet Tall And 6 Pounds” Of Hilarious appeared first on Jewcy.

To say “Killing My Lobster is a San Francisco sketch comedy group” is like saying “Jesus Christ was a carpenter who died young” – true, but not the whole story.  Since the group’s inception in 1997, KML has produced over 30 original comedy shows and earned the title of Best Comedy Group by SF Weekly, churned out a steady stream of video content hilariously lampooning Bay Area culture and beyond, and have even branched out into the world of legit theater, winning awards for their 2006 production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s Hunter Gatherers.

On June 25th, KML will collaborate with other Bay Area writers, performers and filmmakers to present an entire evening of sketch comedy created in just 50 hours. And on September 22nd, they’ll debut their brand new sketch show, “Killing My Lobster Conquers The Galaxy”. A veritable Bay Area institution, Killing My Lobster has been killing the game.

The post The Big Jewcy: Killing My Lobster – SF’s Sketch Comedy Royalty appeared first on Jewcy.

Louis Katz is an easy-to-listen-to California native with a delightfully dirty mind, and his debut comedy album, If These Balls Could Talk, is a stellar slice of his twisted sense of humor. His main playing field is the world of sex and he touches on all the necessary topics – 3-ways with chubby girls, sex without glasses, sex with handicapped Indian women, and hippies who play the didgeridoo because it’s the closest they’ll come to sucking off a tree.

Not to say that Katz’ material is entirely blue – it’s not. He deftly riffs on vegans, married friends, being a Jewish kid at Christmas time and America’s obesity problem – “Why is America so fat? Here’s a theory: burgers are 2 bucks, salads are 12.99. You got 5 bucks in your pocket. You can get a burger, fries and a shake or you can put a down payment on some arugala. Have your mom co-sign for some croutons.”  Katz is charmingly self-depricating and obviously a smart dude.

The album was recorded at The Punchline in Sacramento, which happens to be the literal club where Louis got his start, and the crowd is into it from the jump, providing an engaged, supportive energy throughout. It’s funny how much the audience’s tone affects the experience of listening to a comedy record, and I found myself being swayed by the obviously good energy in the room.

If These Balls Could Talk is a consistently funny record. Which, theoretically, is what you’re looking for from your comedy.

The record is available for purchase on Louis’ website louiskatzcomedy.com and wherever else hilarious things are sold.

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Things we learned when we talked to Eugene Mirman:

• He’s not a communist.

• The light of God shines down on him throughout this entire video. Seriously, that’s heavenly light that makes this video blurry. If you’re offended by this beautiful occurrence, we suggest you close your eyes, and imagine this is a podcast.

• We tried to trick him to see if he knew the correct date for the upcoming Festival of Strikes party that we’re helping to throw. We are happy to report that he did know it’s on November 30th at Brooklyn Bowl and The Sway Machinery, Soulico and DeLeon are playing.

(Photo via SF Weekly)

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