3 Things: Kumail Nanjiani, Sarah Tollemache, and The Oatmeal
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 see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.
Upcoming shows
EVERYWHERE:
Jeff Goldblum is the guest host of this week's National Geographic Explorer. Getting to work with him was so crazy and fun. He is even more Goldblum than I ever imagined. Watch the results on Monday at 10 p.m. ET . Link
On the new episode of The Payoff, my co-host Antonia Cereijido and I interviewed Rep. Barney Frank about Dodd-Frank, consumer protections, and what's happening with new financial regulations. Link
Comedians learn about cutting-edge science on You're the Expert. All episodes are online and available to stream or download. Link
NYC:
HOME SHOWS: In May/June I'm going to be doing a ton of standup shows in people's living rooms. So far, I'm performing at several strangers' birthday parties, in a studio that's also used to shoot "boudoir photography," and for a group of teenagers. The audiences for these shows are mostly the host's friends and family, but there are a few spots reserved each time for my fans/friends too. Come join the adventure by signing up here: Link
Thursday, May 11th at 9:00 p.m. at UCB East. I'm telling jokes on Fresh Out at the Upright Citizens Brigade East. Link
CAMBRIDGE, MA:
Sunday, June 4th at 7:30 p.m. at ImprovBoston. Come join me for an hour of standup and surprises. Link
My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Kumail Nanjiani is great in HBO's Silicon Valley, his standup is amazing, and he's an all-around good person. I'm very excited to see his first feature film, The Big Sick. This profile of Kumail in the New Yorker is fantastic. It's writen by Andrew Marantz, who just gets comedy in a way that very few journalists do. One of my favorite comedians profiled by one of my favorite writers. Kumail Nanjiani's Culture-Clash Comedy
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Sarah Tollemache made her late-night debut on Colbert this week. Over the past year, I've been on show after show with Sarah where she just destroyed. It's no surprise that Colbert's audience loved her too. Sarah Tollemache Counts Every Step Aloud In Lieu Of A Fitbit
1 Interesting Thing:
Matthew Inman makes internet cartoons that range from the absurd to the profound. He's just as likely to draw a bear telling some terrible knock-knock jokes as he is to educate you about why Nikola Tesla is the greatest inventor of all time. His most recent piece is about a psychological phenomenon known as "The Backfire Effect," and it's fascinating and surprisingly moving. It's also hilarious. I don't want to ruin too much, but let me just say that it involves everything from George Washington's teeth to why we hate cable news. You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: John Wilson, Vir Das, and Claudia O'Doherty
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 see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.
Upcoming shows
EVERYWHERE:
This Monday on the National Geographic Channel, a new episode of Explorer features a story I pitched about the surprising rise of cattle-rustling. Guest hosted by Aasif Mandvi and featuring an interview with Mandy Patinkin. Link
On The Payoff, my co-host Antonia Cereijido and I learn about money and how the news affects our finances. Link
Comedians learn about cutting-edge science on You're the Expert. All episodes are online and available to stream or download. Link
NYC:
TONIGHT Saturday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m. at The Magnet Theater. I'm the monologuist for The Armando Diaz Experience. I tell stories and then NYC's funniest improvisers make up scenes based on them. This show is always incredible and you should come. Link
Thursday, May 11th at 9:00 p.m. at UCB East. I'm telling jokes on Fresh Out! a great standup show hosted by the hilarious Ashley Brooke Roberts and Jim Tews. (NOTE: I had incorrectly listed this as May 4th last week) Link
CAMBRIDGE, MA:
Sunday, June 4th at 7:30 p.m. at ImprovBoston. I'm headlining my favorite comedy theater in the country. Come join me for an hour of jokes and surprises. Tickets just went on sale today. Link
My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
John Wilson is a former private investigator turned filmmaker. His movies are hilarious lo-fi masterpieces. "How to Keep Smoking," "How to Remain Single," and "How to Act on Reality TV " are three of Wilson's most popular movies. But my favorite is the short Wilson made when Vimeo sent him to cover Sundance. It's so so so funny to see him resentfully cover behind-the-scenes at a festival he's been rejected from. Escape from Park City
You can find the rest of John Wilson's movies here. (h/t Bianca Giaever)
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Vir Das is an Indian comic who made his US late night debut on Conan this week. He destroyed. Das' set about religion, breakfast cereal, and Donald Trump is hilarious and he got multiple applause breaks from the audience to prove it. Vir Das: Donald Trump is America's Arranged Marriage
1 Interesting Thing:
Claudia O'Doherty is one of the stars of Netflix's Love but she's also a top-notch comedian and storyteller. She's just instantly likeable. I could listen to her talk about growing up in Australia all day. This is a great story about her celebrity encounters at age fifteen, including the time when Ewan McGregor came to her house and she completely ignored him. Claudia O'Doherty
Have a great weekend,
Chris
3 Things: Cheryl Strayed, Roy Wood Jr, and Parkageddon
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 see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.
Upcoming shows
EVERYWHERE:
The latest episode of The Payoff is about travel tips and consumer rights. We talk about the whole United fiasco, but also the many ways customers can stand up for themselves with Laura Lyons Cole from Consumer Reports. Link
As always, all episodes of You're the Expert are online for your listening pleasure. Link
CAMBRIDGE, MA:
TOMORROW Sunday, April 23rd at 4:00 p.m. at the Brattle Theater. I'll be hosting You're the Expert live with Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, and Marina Franklin. Our guest is an actual MacArthur genius and it's going to be incredible. Only about 10 tickets left! Link
NYC:
Saturday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m. at The Magnet Theater. I'm the monologuist for The Armando Diaz Experience. I tell stories and then NYC's funniest improvisers make up scenes based on them. This show is always incredible and you should come. Link
Thursday, May 4th at 9:00 p.m. at UCB East. I'm telling jokes on Fresh Out! a great standup show hosted by the hilarious Ashley Brooke Roberts and Jim Tews. Link
My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.
This week's list
1 Thing I Think Is Great:
Cheryl Strayed wrote a bestselling memoir, Wild, and Reese Witherspoon played her in the movie. But Chery's success is also built on her honest, heartfelt advice. Tim Ferriss interviewed her about her career and the lessons she wished she'd known as a younger writer and artist. Full disclosure: it's a very long podcast and I don't love Tim Ferriss (4-hour diet, 4-hour workweek, maybe try a different time unit once in a while?), but the section that resonated with me and I'd recommend is about "the gift of failure." It's 9 minutes long, from about an hour and 21 minutes in until 1:30:00. How to Be Creative Like A Motherf*cker - Cheryl Strayed (h/t Mollie)
1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:
Roy Wood, Jr. is unbelievably funny. If you have a chance to go to one of his shows, take it. Roy is about to be too famous for you to afford tickets anymore. He's killing it onThe Daily Show and his new special, Father Figure, is extraordinary. You can get the special on iTunes or watch some clips here. Roy was a guest on Colbert to promote the show and their conversation was great. Roy Wood Jr. Casts Doubt On Trump's Claim That 'Black People Love Me'
1 Interesting Thing:
You know those trick drawings that have a hidden message in the clouds or the leaves of a tree? It's invisible until someone points it out to you and then you can't stop seeing it. That's how I've felt after reading this article in The Economist about parking lots. I'd never thought twice about them but now I see how where we decided to leave our cars has profoundly changed all of our lives. You'll never look at an empty spot the same way. Parkageddon: How not to create traffic jams, pollution, and urban sprawl
Have a great weekend,
Chris
