by Bradford Evans Here's Tina Fey talking about a bad experience auditioning for a McDonald's commercial in Chicago in the '90s for an episode of The Tonight Show's web series My Worst Audition. It didn't work out, but at least Tina Fey didn't get really into being a commercial spokesperson instead... [Read More]

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has a new correspondent, and his name is Jordan Klepper. Klepper files his first on-air report tonight, "live" from "Ukraine." Comedy Central's news parody program lost two correspondents late in 2013 to other shows -- Al Madrigal is co-starring in NBC's new mids... [Read More]

by Ramsey Ess In his obituary, published yesterday by his hometown paper The Chicago Tribune, Harold Ramis was described as leaving behind "a reputation as a mensch and all-around good guy." There's really not much more one could ask for when your life is being summed up. But as it turns out, Ramis ... [Read More]

Stephen Colbert must keep up appearances as blowhard mouthpiece "Stephen Colbert" on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, but at the tail end of Monday night's episode, "Stephen Colbert" offered that if he, in fact, were a comedian..."as a young, bookish man with glasses looking for a role model, I ... [Read More]

Writer/director/comedian Harold Ramis died early this morning, four years after first being diagnosed with the health problems that caused his autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. Ramis was 69. Ramis was born in Chicago on Nov. 21, 1944, and moved back to the Windy City in 1996 while still a hugely s... [Read More]

If you were a fan of Saturday Night Live back in the ’90s, one of your favorite sketches was probably Chris Farley’s motivational speaker Matt Foley: the man with a little bit of a “weight problem” you hired to talk some sense into your teenagers so that they don’t end ... [Read More]

by Megh Wright The Second City recently posted the above clip from a July 1990 revue called "Flag Smoking Permitted in Lobby Only, or Censorama" in which Chris Farley performs as the frenetic motivational speaker Matt Foley supported by Second City vets Bob Odenkirk, Tim Meadows, Jill Talley, David... [Read More]

The Second City unearthed and uploaded a comedy first from its archives on Monday, as we can see the July 1990 debut of Chris Farley's motivational speaker character, Matt Foley, who scares children by telling them they might end up like him, living in a van down by the river. The rest of us would s... [Read More]

The Second City just uploaded a really awesome video clip that’s a total blast from the past. The late, great Chris Farley, (who would’ve turned 50 this weekend) got his start with the Chicago improv troupe and it was there where he honed his comedic timing. It turns out it was also ther... [Read More]

Beth Melewski is the über-talented performer known from her multiple revues with The Second City, as well for being Chicago’s own “Cash Cab” host. Her bawdy performance style, fun character work […]Author informationMonique MadridWest Coast Editor at Serial Optimis... [Read More]