Stand Up Comedy

CHICAGO – Combine the hilarity of prime observational comedy with the zen of inner peace, and you have Melinda Hill’s downloadable stand up special “Inappropriate.” This sharp master of laughs delivers an hour of riffs on her life and loves, including her viral tweet on fellow comedian Louis CK (#MeTooSoon).

CHICAGO – One of the great new premium channel TV series, which piggybacked on the “Twin Peaks” return on the Showtime Network, is “I’m Dying Up Here.” Set in the 1970s, it tells the stories of fictional stand up comedians in Los Angeles, and one of the Consulting Producers and series writers is Cindy Caponera.

CHICAGO – The dry, hangdog demeanor of comedian Demetri Martin is familiar to fans who have watched his Comedy Central show, “Important Things,” experienced his notable stand up routines and read his best-selling books. It seemed a natural to leap into film, so Martin has written, directed and portrays the title character in the new release, “Dean.”

CHICAGO – One of the hottest new shows on HBO is “Crashing,” a quasi-autobiography of the star of the show, comedian Pete Holmes. Last week, at the Chicago International Television Festival, Holmes stopped by and presented the latest episode.

CHICAGO – Mention this possibility…Robert De Niro portrays an aging stand-up comic who once had a popular sitcom in the 1980s…and 99% of filmgoers are in. Add that he beds a woman 25 years his junior, does community service, roasts Cloris Leachman and becomes a reality show host, and suddenly 80% of that 99 are out. That’s just part of the over-extension and dread in “The Comedian.”

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The new book from Richard Lewis is ‘Reflections From Hell.’

CHICAGO – The “Prince of Pain” was in Chicago recently. Richard Lewis, the overtly introspective and hilarious stand up comedian, has written a new book – “Reflections From Hell” – and appeared at Chicago’s City Winery, plus sold out two shows at the legendary Zanies comedy club.

CHICAGO – Raconteur, comedian and Twitter star Patton Oswalt has a new book out, entitled “Silver Screen Fiend.” In it, he chronicles his love for the movies and how it shaped his worldview. He appeared at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., at an event sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop.

CHICAGO – The world is full of living components that express the similarities in our differences, and actress Fawzia Mirza is the embodiment of us all coming together. The self described South-Asian-Muslim-American woman has been a force on the Chicago acting scene for years, and recently broke out with a role in the high profile stage play “Brahman/i,” by Aditi Brennan Kapil, which premiered in Chicago on March 27th. The play was recently extended to May 4th.

CHICAGO – Chicago’s “Reeling 31,” the 31st annual film extravaganza for the 2nd oldest LGBT film festival in the world, caps it’s weeklong series with three closing night movies on November 14th, all at the historic Logan Theater. “Ludwig II,” “Reaching for the Moon” and “Ian Harvie Superhero” are the special final film presentations.