3 Things: Scott C. Reynolds, Thesis Defense, and Lisa Miller

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can sign up to get these emails here.

 Upcoming shows

NEW YORK:
Wednesday, January 4th at 7 p.m. at The Annoyance. Evan Kaufman and I are hosting The Sensible Show with a whole bunch of great stand ups telling jokes. Link

Tuesday, January 10th at 7:30 p.m. at QED Astoria. I'm a guest on Evan Barden's live music and talk show, Repeater. There's a distinct possibility we'll discuss Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Link

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:

Scott C. Reynolds is the author of Dream Jobs and a guy people go to when they're trying to figure out how to write a pilot or a screenplay. I've worked with him and he's just a gem of a human being. Scott has a newsletter, Writers Be Writing, with tips and advice for aspiring writers, but for the past couple weeks he's been sharing his process for setting goals and actually achieving them. Since there are a lot of resolutions getting set right now, take a second and let Scott help you. The biggest tip that I've had personal success with is setting goals that are 100% in my control. "Get my own TV show" is a dream I can't control, "Write a pilot that I'm proud of" is a goal that I can do. Lies, Damn Lies, and Goal Setting
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

This isn't new, but it's a classic and I love it. "Question: Do I have to kill the snake? Answer: University guidelines state that you have to 'defeat' the snake. There are many ways to accomplish this. Lots of students choose to wrestle the snake. Some construct decoys and elaborate traps to confuse and then ensnare the snake. One student brought a flute and played a song to lull the snake to sleep. Then he threw the snake out a window." FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense by Luke Burns


1 Interesting Thing:

Here's a potentially hopeful note to end 2016 on. New York Magazine's Lisa Miller documented what she called "an experiment in radical empathy." They brought together more than a dozen people on both sides of the gun debate including "a hunter; two Baltimore cops; a criminal-court judge from New Orleans; a couple of high-schoolers who grew up in the ganglands of Chicago's South Side-- who had agreed to meet face-to-face, tell each other their stories, and try to understand one another's points of view." They listened and then shared a partner's story in their own voice. The participants were skeptical, but the results were pretty stunning. An Experiment in Empathy


Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!

Chris

3 Things: Jon Favreau, Colin Nissan, and Shazaam

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can sign up to get these emails here.

 Upcoming shows

No shows this week. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:

The Hollywood Reporter published a long piece on creativity where Jon Favreau asks Issa Rae, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Donald Glover, and Damien Chazelle about their processes. It's amazing to get a peek into how they think about "success, struggling, and staying sane."One Epic Conversation
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

Colin Nissan's humor pieces in The New Yorker and McSweeney's always make me laugh. He's very, very good at taking something mundane and breaking it down until you see the insanity. One of his best targets is a Christmas carol that truly makes no sense. What is Colin going to do with all these birds? The Twelve Days of Christmas by Colin Nissan.


1 Interesting Thing:

Ok, this next one is crazy. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people, claim that they have memories of watching a cheesy Nineties movie called Shazaam where the comedian Sinbad played a genie. To be honest, I vaguely remember seeing it myself. But here's the thing: that movie does not exist and it never has. Sinbad himself is baffled when people ask him about it. But online, there's a community of people who are certain they've seen it. They remember the cover, the plot, the music... everything. So what does it tell us about how memory works and how slippery our grasp on reality can be? The Movie That Doesn't Exist and the Redditors Who Think It Does


Thanks for reading. Happy holidays! Take care of yourselves,

Chris

3 Things: Mr. Rogers, Joe Pera, and Lizzie Presser

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can sign up to get these emails here.

 Upcoming shows

LOS ANGELES: 
Tuesday, December 20th at 9 p.m. at The Nerdist Showroom. For one night only, I'm bringing my variety show / prize giveaway You Get A Spoon to LA. Featuring music from Johanna Samuels, comedy from Zach Sherwin, Max Silvestri, stories from April Wolfe, and so many prizes. Link

MADRID, SPAIN: 
Friday, January 26th to Sunday, January 28th at Only You Hotel Atocha. I'm headlining a weekend of standup shows for a NYC-themed festival in Madrid sponsored by Seagram's. If you're in Spain or just looking for a way to theme a vacation around my comedy, gin, and eating tapas, this is your chance. Link

NEW YORK: 
I'm confirming 2017 dates now. They will be up on the website soon.

You can also find my full up-to-date show schedule online here.

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:

For a dose of kindness and humanity, watch Mr. Rogers testify about the importance of children's television and convince a room of skeptical politicians to fund public broadcasting. It's a remarkable piece of footage from one of the most influential educators and entertainers of all time. May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications. (h/t Kumail Nanjiani)
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

Joe Pera is like no other comedian today. He's a complete original and he's making some hilarious and wonderful comedy specials for Adult Swim. First, they aired his animated "Joe Pera Talks You To Sleep" in the middle of the night. This week, they released his holiday masterpiece, a special where he helps you select the perfect tree for your home. It's almost impossible to describe Joe, but I guess I'd say he's an equal mix of kindly old grandfather, muscular young man, and subversive alternative comic. Two things are for sure: he's always got a great sweater and he's always making me laugh in very unexpected ways.Joe Pera Helps You Find The Perfect Christmas Tree   

If you want a shorter taste of his comedy, here's Joe on Seth Meyers.


1 Interesting Thing:

Lizzie Presser is one of the smartest writers and most insightful journalists out there. She made a name for herself reporting from Northern Thailand and she's worked with Nicholas Kristof and The New York Times. Her latest piece for Harper's is about Rodrigo Duterte's presidency in the Phillipines and his enduring popularity even as he encourages extrajudicial killings. It's a fascinating postcard from inside the war on drugs. One of Us by Lizzie Presser


Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend,

Chris