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Premium Blend
''Premium Blend'' was a stand-up comedy series created and directed by Paul Miller that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005. In 2005 the show was changed, and now known as "Live at Gotham". The show was born out of Comedy Central's attempts to find new comedy stars. These "attempts" were $1,000 to $10,000 dollar productions that allowed unnoticed comedians to share their material. Premium Blend acted as a showcase where most of the material and bits were shown. Overview Every year since its premier in 1997, the program featured a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduced four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television. The host and guests would change every year. Each comedian presented a short set of jokes, which was edited to last about five minutes on the airing of the show. Many alumni have gone on to have their own ''Comedy Central Presents'' specials or further acclaim, including Mitch Hedb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stand-up Comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke, one-liners, stories, observations or a shtick that may incorporate Theatrical property, props, comedy music, music, Magic (illusion), magic tricks or ventriloquism. It can be performed almost anywhere, including comedy clubs, comedy festivals, bars, nightclubs, colleges or theatres. History Stand-up as a Western world, Western art form has its roots in the Stump speech (minstrelsy), stump speech of American minstrel shows, which featured an actor in blackface delivering nonsensical monologue to the audience. While the intention of stump speeches was to mock African-Americans, they also occasionally contained political and social satire. The minstrel show would later influence theatrical traditions of the late 19th and early 20th centu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greer Barnes (comedian)
Greer Barnes (born 1964) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for clever wordplay, observational humor, sketch comedy, mimicry, and energetic physical comedy. He has performed in comedy festivals, in commercials, on television and in films. He regularly appears at The Comedy Cellar in New York City’s West Village.I Can’t Follow Greer Barnes By Joe Glasgow, Splitsider website, March 30, 2017Stand Up NY: Greer Barnes /ref> Biography Barnes was born in the and grew up on[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a year long stint on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live.'' His true breakthrough, however, came as writer and performer on FOX's sketch comedy show ''In Living Color'' from 1990 to 1992, his animated series ''Waynehead'' that ran on the Kids' WB block from 1996 to 1997, and his TV series '' Damon'' (1998). Since then, he has starred in a number of films and television shows, some of which he has co-produced or co-written, including ''Beverly Hills Cop'', ''The Last Boy Scout'', and ''Major Payne'' and the sitcom ''My Wife and Kids''. From 2016 to 2019, he starred as Roger Murtaugh in the television series ''Lethal Weapon''. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Early life Wayans was born in Harlem in New York City, the son of Elvira Alethia (Green), a homemaker, singer and soci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamie Kennedy
James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the ''Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in ''The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His other film roles include ''Romeo + Juliet'' (1996), '' Bowfinger'' (1999), ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003), ''Finding Bliss'' (2009), and ''Good Deeds'' (2012). He has starred in the CBS drama ''Ghost Whisperer'' (2005–2010), provided voice-work for ''The Cleveland Show'' (2009–2013) and regularly tours as a stand-up comedian and podcaster. Early life Kennedy was born on May 25, 1970, in Upper Darby Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kennedy was raised Catholic. He attended and graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in 1988. After high school, Kennedy began his career as a Hollywood extra. Meanwhile, he worked on voice impersonations. Career When Kennedy first arrived in Los Angeles, he became a professional Hol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is also known for her roles on CBS' ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (2006–10), HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2001–present), and ABC's ''Black-ish'' (2015–present). She currently stars in the Netflix original series ''The Upshaws'' which premiered on May 12, 2021, with Kim Fields and Mike Epps, and has appeared in the HBO Max comedy series ''The Other Two'', as well as playing Allegra Durado, a new, powerful, and "messy"-brained partner in a legal firm on Paramount+'s acclaimed ''The Good Fight.'' Aside from her television appearances, Sykes has also had a career in film, appearing in ''Monster-in-Law'' (2005), ''My Super Ex-Girlfriend'' (2006), ''Eva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as Bernard on '' Damon'' (1998), as David Bellows on ''Life with Bonnie'' (2002–2004), as Joe Carmichael on ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), as Hal on ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2018), and for his movie roles such as Roger in '' Streamers'' (1983), Carl Bentley in ''Jumanji'' (1995), and Jim Fields in '' Bewitched'' (2005). Early life and education Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, one of three children, to Aretas Ruth (née Blaney), a school teacher, and William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer, who co-wrote the book '' Black Rage''. He graduated from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, and received a B.A. in radio, television and film from the University of Michigan, and an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama, in 1981. Visiting lecturer Rachel Roberts took notice of his performance one evening in a piece entitled ''The Place of the Spirit Dan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harland Williams
Harland Michael Williams (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. After several years of stand-up in Toronto and Los Angeles he made his film debut in ''Dumb and Dumber'' (1994) before playing starring roles in the short-lived sitcom ''Simon'' (1995–96) and the Disney comedy ''RocketMan'' (1997). He co-starred in ''Half Baked'' and played a psychopathic hitch-hiker in ''There's Something About Mary'' in 1998. He later appeared in films such as ''The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000), ''Freddy Got Fingered'' (2001) and ''Sorority Boys'' (2002), and provided voices in works such as ''Gary & Mike'', ''Robots'' (2005), ''Meet the Robinsons'' (2007), and ''Sausage Party'' (2016). He is also an author of children's books, and creator of the children's animated series ''Puppy Dog Pals''. Early life Harland Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine Mary (née O'Donnell), a social worker and writer, and John Reesor Williams, a lawyer who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Davidson
Thomas Davidson (born November 10, 1963) is an American comedian and actor. He was an original cast member on the sketch comedy TV show ''In Living Color'', Mitchell on ''Between Brothers'' (1997-1999), Dexter on ''Malcolm & Eddie'' (1999-2000), Oscar Proud on ''The Proud Family'' (2001-2005) & its 2022 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, revival, Rushon in ''Booty Call'' (1997), Womack in ''Bamboozled'' (2000), ''Black Dynamite'' (2009) and its subsequent television series. In 2022, Davidson appeared on Storybound reading from his book, ''Living in Color: What's Funny about Me''. Early years Born Anthony Reed in Greenville, Mississippi, Davidson was abandoned in the trash at 18 months old, before being rescued by the woman who became his adoptive mother. He was a child of an interracial adoption, being that his adoptive parents are white. His parents changed his name to Thomas Davidson when they adopted him. He has two older white siblings, Michael and Beryle. He and his fam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Breuer
James E. Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and radio host. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998 and starred in the film ''Half Baked'' (1998). Early life Breuer was born in Valley Stream, New York on Long Island. His first job was at Sears when he was a teenager. Career Television career Breuer was a member of the cast of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998, playing characters such as Joe Pesci and Goat Boy. He went on to host ''The Jim Breuer Show'' after leaving SNL. Breuer later hosted the third season of the VH1 show '' Web Junk 20'', has done two Comedy Central specials—2002's ''Hardcore'', and 2009's ''Let's Clear the Air''—and has been featured in commercials for Pizza Hut. Radio career Breuer was a regular on ''The Howard Stern Show'', ''Opie and Anthony Show'' and is the host of ''Fridays with Jim Breuer,'' on Sirius Satellite Radio. Other work Breuer regularly tours as a comedian. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American comedian and actress who has starred in television comedy specials and has released comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Griffin won Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality show '' Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''. She has also appeared in supporting roles in films. Griffin was born in Oak Park, Illinois. In 1978, she moved to Los Angeles, where she studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and became a member of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings. In the 1990s, Griffin began performing as a stand-up comedian and appeared as a guest star on television shows, including the NBC sitcom ''Suddenly Susan'' (1996–2000). The Bravo reality show ''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List'' (2005–2010) became a ratings hit for the network and earned her two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program. Griffin has released six comedy albums, all of which received Grammy Award nominations. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron White
Ron White (born December 18, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and author, best known as a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Nicknamed "Tater Salad", he is the author of the book ''I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability'', which appeared on the ''New York Times'' best seller list. Biography White was born in Fritch, Texas on December 18, 1956. He joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USS ''Conserver'' near the end of the Vietnam War. Before pursuing comedy professionally, White briefly lived in Mexico, where he bought a pottery factory. From January 2000 through March 2003, White toured with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour – a show that sold out across the United States in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million. He made seven guest appearances on ''Blue Collar TV''. In 2005, The WB Television Network aired the pilot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete Holmes
Peter Benedict Holmes (born March 30, 1979) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. Musings on spirituality and religion are frequent themes in his works. Holmes gained recognition in the early 2010s as a stand-up comic, during which he launched his long-running podcast ''You Made It Weird'' (2011–present), released his first comedy special, and worked as an actor and television writer. Subsequently, he began his own late-night talk show ''The Pete Holmes Show'' (2013–2014), which ran on TBS for two seasons in the time-slot after ''Conan'', a frequent champion of his work. During the decade, he released four comedy specials: ''Impregnated with Wonder'' (2011), ''Nice Try, The Devil'' (2013), ''Faces and Sounds'' (2016), and ''Dirty Clean'' (2018). Holmes is most widely known for starring and creating the semi-autobiographical scripted comedy series ''Crashing'', which aired on HBO for three seasons (2017–2019). He has also worked as a voice actor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
