Breaking News: Funny or Die's "Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival" is Coming to Irvine!

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WENN.com
Chappelle is coming! Chappelle is coming!

Comedy titan Dave Chappelle has been popping up all over with spontaneous appearances lately and if you are getting pissed that he hasn't popped into Orange County, you can push your anger aside because, HE IS COMING!! Oh my god, calm down. No screw it. WE CAN'T! WE'RE WAYYY TO EXCITED!


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"Top Five Songs With Crazy Lyrics," According to Hal Sparks

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"I don't know if I'm impressed or angry because this song is from people who weren't even high."
Hal Sparks was dishing up jokes and killing the crowds with laughter on the stand-up stage long before he took hosted E!'s "Talk Soup." He had a stand-out role on "Queer as Folk" and portrays the super smart scientist step-dad "Donald Davenport" on Disney Channel's "Lab Rats," but at the end of the day, there is a lot more that meets the eye when it comes to this multi-talented man.

Before his weekend run at the Brea Improv June 13th-16th, there was a whole other stage we were focusing on when it came to Sparks. It's the one he stands on with his guitar and in tow alongside his band Zero 1. Since Hal is so crazy clever, we felt it was only right to hit him up for his list of the "Top Five Songs With Crazy Lyrics" and as expected, he nailed it to the wall!

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Jim Breuer's Top Five Head Banging Heavy Metal Classics

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Kelly Hartmann
Priest was my first love and still to this day, I just never get sick of them.

Jim Breuer, a beloved comic and heavy metal connoisseur, has entertained us with immortal SNL characters (Goat Boy!), cult classic films we can't seem to get enough of, and through his laugh out loud hilarious stand-up comedy. But it's high time we hear about something new in Breuer Land. Well peeps, the wait is over. Thanks to EPIX, his first ever stand-up comedy special for the channel, "Jim Breuer: And Laughter For All" will be premiering on June 7th at 7pm.

Metallica puns aside, we knew when it came to nailing down a list for the "Top Five Head Banging Heavy Metal Classics," there was no one better to give us insight than the comic best known for rocking the fuck out. Now if only this list were done in video so we could all see him bang his head along with the tunes...


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Steve Trevino's Crash Course in Guy Code

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Fink Photography
I like the challenge because I want to be nervous sometimes.

Comedian Steve Trevino might come off somewhat bitter on stage but the truth is, he has nothing to be angry about in the least. He gets to make a living traveling around cracking jokes while entertaining the masses. He even has a gorgeous wife that puts up with his shit (we know because she's a constant source of material on stage).

Steve's set is jam packed with real life stories making him a highly approachable and completely humble guy. Before his upcoming weekend at the Brea Improv June 6th through 9th, we used his extreme straightforwardness as an excuse to play a game with him based on an MTV show and to get some candid info from Trevino who always keeps it totally blunt.


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John Henson Is Through Being Family Friendly

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At some point, I'm sure people even thought Hitler was adorable...
Last year, when we talked to John Henson before his gig in Orange County, it had been awhile since he graced the stand-up stage. This year however, it's a totally different story. In-between filming his hit TV show "Wipeout," he's been going full throttle getting back into his stand-up zone and we may be a little bias but his material is, well, fucking funnier than ever.

It should also be noted that if you are expecting Henson to wax poetic puns about overly padded show contestants falling down and cracking cheese-tastic "big balls" jokes we have some bad news for you. That's most certainly not the John Henson that will be at the Irvine Improv June 6th through 9th so you may just want to stay on your couch and catch a "Wipeout" re-run. You don't have to take our word for it though (even though we are a pretty trustworthy bunch over here) because we talked to Hens before his upcoming gig to find out what's new. It turns out he's got updates galore and his life is more twisted than ever. And we love him even more for it.

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Bill Cosby Tells Us Why Having Openly Gay Athletes in Pro Sports Isn't a Big Deal

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Erinn Chalene Cosby
I had no intention of getting into show business.
Bill Cosby's body of work is more recognizable and respected than most. You could say he's a bit of a legend--not every day you can talk to one of those. We're not bragging, OK, maybe we are a little, but with an upcoming show at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center on June 9th, we obviously jumped at the chance to talk to him. Aside from the obvious, we know that Mr. Cosby is ever the professional and a prompt man so when you're about to phone him, a word to the wise: Try your best to calm your nerves and call him two minutes early.

This iconic jack-of-all-trades has entertained generations of fans through his comedic works, with best-selling books, and with a plethora of TV roles and probably most notably as the dad we all wanted, Dr. Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." During our conversation with The Cos himself, we came prepared with a list of questions but we pretty much threw them to the wayside once that familiar voice started talking and indulged in a conversation that covered his past as well as topical media interests. Being that Mr. Cosby has one of the most interesting minds to pick as well as the fact that he is one of the best story tellers of our time, we pretty much just sat back and soaked it all in. Trust us, we're still giddy.


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Daniel Tosh Popped Up at the Irvine Improv Last Night to Rehearse Some Jokes

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Tosh.O he was he great...

Despite its rep for being one of the most humorless places in OC, Irvine continues to prove time and time again to be an unlikely Mecca for stand-up comedy. Ok, so it ain't Los Angeles. But when a comic like Daniel Tosh wants to sneak down to the Irvine Improv on a Tuesday to casually try out new material and still finds himself in front of a sold out crowd like he did last night, you know there's something special going on down here. Then again, maybe Tosh's opening line of last night's set sums it up the best:

"I like the size of this room because I can suck and it won't affect my career at all!"


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Top Five Old-School Dance Floor Jams, According to Brad Williams

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I was doing the whole Ke$ha "dollar sign" thing before she was!

If there is something we've learned about OC native and comedian extraordinaire Brad Williams over the years, it's that he is one hell of a dancer. We know there's no denying he's funny as hell and gets plenty of well-deserved standing O's, but that aside, this guy has moves for days. With an upcoming gig at the Irvine Improv, we used his rhythmic prowess as an excuse to give one of our favorite funny guys a homework assignment. The task at hand? To go through his extensive music library and "take it back" for us to a time long before he was rocking the stage. See, Williams was always rocking the dance floor, which is why we knew he'd get an A+ for his list of top five old-school dance-floor jams.


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Ralphie May and Lahna Turner's Dirty Podcast is a Perfect 10.

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When opposites attract, they can make a perfect 10.
Getting a married couple to work together on a project in perfect harmony can sometimes be easier said than done. Especially when both of them are used to the spotlight. Chances are after a while the act will wear off and you can expect them to be at each other's throats once or twice an hour. But when it comes to comedians Ralphie May and Lahna Turner, it just doesn't happen. When I was invited to sit in on the Perfect 10 Podcast believe me, I genuinely expected to witness at least one little squabble to break out. But honestly, it didn't happen once.

Usually the duo record their hit podcast (named "Perfect 10" because that is what they look like visually standing next to each other, a 1 and a 0) at their home, but this weekend they spent it at the Brea Improv. Even after a long weekend filled with six shows and being that it was Mother's Day, they were still up for taping this episode that will be called, "Hacks N Sacks." Produced by the equally hilarious Danny Lobell, while Ralphie was doing time on stage killing the crowd, I met up with Lahna and Danny in the green room (which is actually red) and chatted it up with both of them while we waited for Ralphie to finish.


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K-von Wants to Give You the First Good Laugh of Persian New Year

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Standup comic K-von is much more than a pretty face. Born to a Persian dad and an American mom, his humor thrives on pushing ethnic boundaries, so everyone gets their fair share of jabs, no matter who you rooted for during the Iran-Iraq War.

Keeping a versatile style has landed him gigs alongside greats such as Russell Peters and Maz Jobrani, a role on the MTV show Disaster Date, and the job of the spokesperson for ScamBook.com, plus, it has made his road schedule seemingly nonstop. He's wrapping up Nowruz (a.k.a. the Persian New Year) with back-to-back shows and a live taping this Sunday at the Irvine Improv. So grab a date to squeeze in a few laughs; don't forget that celebrating another culture's New Year is still reason enough to hook up at the end of the night.

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