About Those Dove Commercials...

A spot-on take on the whole Dove marketing viral video genre:



"So where's our peace prize or whatever?"

Your Friends You Haven't Met Yet: Pony Ride

I'd like to introduce you to some friends you haven't met yet: Pony Ride aka Katie Smith, Jessica Spaw, and Alexa Green.




Let's get to know our new friends:

So how did you get starting making videos together?

The three of us all did improv at University of California Irvine (on the team Live Nude People *With Clothes On) together but parted ways once we graduated, it wasn't till a year later after moving each separately to LA, that we reunited and realized the best way to pursue comedy was to make our own content.

Awesome! What does your writing/editing process look like?

We have all studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade and feel that has had a major influence on our writing. Sometimes we write individually, sometimes together, and other times we have a concept and beats but we improv a majority of the sketch. Improv has taught us to ask ourselves when writing "if this is true what else is..." and that can really take us anywhere, which is a lot of fun.

Who are your comedy heros?

We have A LOT of comedy heros since there are three of us the top being: Tina Fey. Amy Pohler, The Mighty Boosh, Ricky Gervias, Carol Bernett, Kristin Wiig, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Zach Galifianakis.

Find more Pony Ride  Facebook or  YouTube. Can't wait to see future awesome from Pony Ride!

(I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that former Wisecrack-mentioned comedian, Lauren Lapkus from The Money Kids is now on the best show ever, Orange is the New Black. I think we can extrapolate this data to mean that Pony Ride will have a Netflix Original Series in approximately two years.)

Check it Out: Pam and Sue

Check out Sue Galloway and Pam Murphy's videos on their tumblr. Love it.

Lyndsay Hailey's "30% Chance of Hailey" Solo Sketch Show

What are you doing Tuesday at 8pm? If you reside in Chicago, do yourself a favor and check out "30% Chance of Hailey," comedian Lyndsay Hailey's solo sketch show.

Hailey's comedy is hard to quickly characterize: The show includes real life stories, hyper-energetic rapping, historical romance, gymnastics, impeccable accents, singing and a lovely dose of audience participation. Hailey is a comedian's comedian- her jokes almost take on a meta quality as she's simultaneously being funny and making fun of the comedic convention being used. (Think poking fun of vague miming or obligatory audience participation... Okay, admittedly less funny when you try to explain it, but funnier when you actually see it!) Her grandiose characters are well complemented by the subtler moments when she plays herself, reenacting her own experiences.

Upcoming shows:

• Tuesday, February 16
  
• Tuesday, February 23
  
• Tuesday, March 02

All shows are at 8:00 PM in the Del Close Theater at iO- tickets are $12 (FREE for iO students)

GroupThink Update: The Interview

Wisecrack sits down with Wendy Rosoff and Angela Espinosa of GroupThink.



Plus, the newest GroupThink Glimpse:

What We're Watching: GroupThink

Angela Espinosa and Wendy Rosoff are the brilliant minds behind the self-produced online sketch comedy show GroupThink. I'm honestly not sure which is better, the writing of this show or their wonderfully nuanced delivery. Check out all their videos (and subscribe) over here.



The latest episode (but do yourself a favor and check out the others):



Despite the radically different format, they remind me of Chicago's own Money Kids (okay, now in New York). And not just because they're a brilliant two-woman sketch group. Because every once in a while, a duo comes along with such great chemistry that half of the fun is just watching them have fun:

First Annual "ImprovBoston Women in Comedy Festival" May 13-16

Press Release from the WICF website:

Cambridge, Mass. - ImprovBoston presents the first annual "ImprovBoston Women in Comedy Festival" to be held May 13-16, 2009. The festival is a celebration of Boston-area women performing improvisational, sketch, film and stand-up comedy. Acclaimed artists include Comedy Central's Kelly MacFarland and Erin Judge, Second City's Leah Gotsik and Marty Johnson, film featuring Sarah Haskins of Current.com TV, and actors from ImprovBoston and Improv Asylum Mainstage. 

The festival's mission is to create a forum for people to experience the unique comedic expression of women, see strong female performers and, most importantly, to have a great time. The event is affordable and many shows are family-friendly. 

There will be workshops on sketch writing and improvisational comedy taught by award-winning, professional talent. The festival will also feature panel discussions with local talent and entertainment professionals to increase dialogue among Boston-area men and women performing comedy, as well as comedy workshops with area high school students and the Cambridge Women's Center. Co-produced by veteran performers Maria Ciampa and Michelle Barbera, the festival is a volunteer effort made possible by the hard work of its artistic staff, the not-for-profit ImprovBoston Theater, and a grant by the Cambridge Arts Council, nurturing the arts in Cambridge, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. More information can be found at www.womenincomedyfestival.com and www.improvboston.com. 

Funny Women in Comedy Festival videos athttp://www.youtube.com/user/WomenInComedy 

Location:
ImprovBoston
40 Prospect Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts
617-576-1253 

Tickets:
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Shows begin at 8:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. Prices vary: $10 - $25 for adults, $7 - $15 for students and seniors. See website for details
*VIP Festival Pass: $70* 

Schedule:
Wednesday, May 13:
8 p.m. - "Comedy Kick Off", stand up comedy with Bari Olevsky, IB sketch group "User Friendly", and storytelling with Jess Sutich (A Night of Oral Tradition) 

10 p.m. - "Funny Guys Stand Up Showcase", hosted by Maria Ciampa, with Dana Jay Bein, Shane Mauss (Late Night with Conan), Ken Reid, Robby Roadsteamer, Micah Sherman, and Zach Sherwin aka MC Mr. Napkins. 

Thursday, May 14:
6 pm: - "Fabulous Females Cocktail Party" at ImprovBoston Lobby. Join us for a festive fundraiser to benefit women in comedy. 

8 p.m. - "Bastards, Inc.", featuring stand up comedy with Jess Sutich (A Night of Oral Tradition), Lindsay Gonzalez, Michelle Barbera (We're Making a Movie), and improv by Three Hole Punch and Bastards, Inc. 

10 p.m. - "Funny Films" featuring a night of short films and video sketch written, produced and created by women. Hosted by Rheri and Jim Kenney. 

Friday, May 15:
8 p.m. - "Atreus", Aeschylus meets Dallas. The world's first soap opera is reimagined in the modern-day, high-stakes business world. 

10 p.m. - "Friday Night Variety Show" with The Steamy Bohemians, stand-up comedians Carolyn Castiglia, M. Dickson, Shereen Kassam, Jennifer Myszowski, Sharon Spell, and special guests. 

Saturday, May 16:
6 p.m. - "Family Show", featuring the women of one of ImprovBoston's most popular shows. Suitable for the whole family, Family Show combines music, improv, and audience interactivity for a completely new show each time. 

8 p.m. - "The Women in Comedy Stand up Showcase" featuring Headliner Kelly MacFarland (Comedy Central), hosted by Erin Judge (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham) and Bethany Van Delft (Boston Comedy Festival) with Maria Ciampa (North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival), Selena Coppock (North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival), Desiree Burch (Hysterical Festival), Robin Gelfenbien (Hysterical Festival), Shane Webb, and special guests. 

9:30 p.m. - "Boston News Net", Boston's premier weekly fake news show features the funniest women in Boston: Kristina Smarz, Megan Golterman, and more. 

10 p.m. - "Improv and Sketch Showcase", featuring ImprovBoston Mainstage, Two Girls For Five Bucks, sketch comedy featuring Cathleen Carr and Daiva Dupree (Ars Nova), Somebody's In The Doghouse, sketch comedy featuring Marty Johnson and Leah Gotsik (The Second City at Sea)