Episode #200: Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham is the quintessential YouTube comedy star. While still a teen, Bo went from recording funny songs in his bedroom to best-selling artist with Comedy Central. Burnham become a successful touring stand-up comedian as well as an actor, appearing on the big screen in Funny People and The Big Sick, and starring on the […]

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Bo Burnham and the Art of the Standup Special

When Chris Rock abruptly announced yesterday that Tamborine — his first of two intensely anticipated Netflix specials — would be premiering in less than 24 hours, comedy fans let out a collective “Finally!” Not only was Rock’s record-breaking deal with the streaming goliath announced all the way back in 2016, but he spent the majority […]

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David Wain Brings the History of ‘National Lampoon’ to Life with ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’

David Wain is no stranger to disrupting an unsuspecting comedy mainstream. Before solidifying himself as a household name as the writer-director behind cult classics (Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten) and commercial hits (Role Models) alike, Wain and his pioneering sketch comedy troupe The State staged a comedic coup at MTV back in the early […]

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Behind the Camera with Ken Marino

Although Ken Marino says he learned nothing about how to be a Latin lover while directing How to Be a Latin Lover, he enjoyed collaborating on the development of such an outlandish character. The movie follows Maximo (Eugenio Derbez), an aging playboy suddenly dumped by the older woman he married for money. With nowhere else […]

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How Heather Fink Made Her First Feature Film ‘Inside You’

After years of performing standup comedy and making funny videos, Heather Fink struck out on her own as a writer/director. Paying the bills by day as a boom operator and sound utility, Fink got to work dreaming up her first feature film. The end product – Inside You – is a hilarious romantic comedy about […]

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Talking ‘Baby Driver’ and the Art of Visual Comedy with Edgar Wright

Few mainstream filmmakers treat the full range of cinema as their playground quite like Edgar Wright does. With each film he releases, the British director (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) —known for his innovative yet playful visual language — pushes the boundaries of what we’ve come to accept about the limitations […]

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Andrew Jay Cohen on How He Pitched His Directorial Debut to Will Ferrell

With writing credits that include the Neighbors movies and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Andrew Jay Cohen is no novice when it comes to crafting a comedy script that balances the bawdy with the sensitive, the raunchy with the sweet. Cohen and his childhood-friend-turned-writing-partner Brendan O’Brien cut their collective teeth as associate producers on […]

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Talking ‘The Big Sick,’ ‘Wet Hot,’ and ‘Search Party’ with Michael Showalter

If occupying multiple pockets of comedic styles as writer and performer were a Herculean task, then mastering the mechanics and successfully wielding all the various elements of humor would seem cosmically impossible. Unless you’re Michael Showalter, who over the span of a 25-year career has not only dabbled in Marx Brothers absurdism (Wet Hot American […]

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