Jimmy Pardo
James Ronald Pardo, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the comedy podcast ''Never Not Funny''. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program Conan (talk show), ''Conan'''s warm-up comedian and cast member, after which he received a general development deal with O'Brien's production company. He last hosted the game show ''Race to Escape'' on the Science Channel. Early life Pardo was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his first 8 years living on the south side, eventually moving to the south suburbs of Chicago. He spent his grade school years living in Hometown, Illinois. In 1980, his family moved to Oak Forest, Illinois, where he attended Oak Forest High School. In 1986, he moved to Pasadena, California, to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (‘87). He attended for one year, then returned to Chicago to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Career In late 1988, Pardo started performing at open mics at various ve ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maximum Fun
Maximum Fun is an independent, worker-owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show ''The Sound of Young America'' which continued in an adapted format and with a new name, ''Bullseye with Jesse Thorn''. Maximum Fun has since grown to include several other programs. Shows on the network cover a wide variety of topics. In May 2014, ''Rolling Stone'' included three Maximum Fun shows on its list of "The 20 Best Comedy Podcasts Right Now": ''Judge John Hodgman'', '' RISK!'', and '' Throwing Shade''. Operations Maximum Fun officially converted into a worker-owned cooperative on June 30, 2023. According to Thorn, this decision was made as a result of his own burnout and as a way to avoid selling the organization to a larger company. This decision made Maximum Fun, at the time, one of the only worker-owned co-ops in media, following in the footsteps of Defector Media. While the or ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andrew Koenig
Joshua Andrew Koenig (; August 17, 1968 – February 16, 2010) was an American character actor, film director, editor, writer, and human rights activist. He was known for his role as Richard "Boner" Stabone in ''Growing Pains''. Early life Andrew Koenig was born August 17, 1968, the son of ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek'' actor Walter Koenig and Judy Levitt. He was Jewish. Writer Harlan Ellison spoke of the young Koenig as being the inspiration for his story "Jeffty Is Five". The story went on to win the 1977 Nebula Award for Best Short Story, Nebula Award and the 1978 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Career From 1985 to 1989, Koenig played a recurring role as Richard "Boner" Stabone, best friend to Kirk Cameron's character Mike Seaver in the first four seasons of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''Growing Pains''. During the same period, he guest starred on episodes of the sitcoms ''My Sister Sam'' and ''My Two Dads'' as well as the drama '' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other record labels, from ABC to Motown to Geffen. MCA Inc. became Universal Studios, Inc., in 1996, and the MCA record label was folded into Universal Music Group's Geffen Records in 2003, but Universal's MCA Nashville use the moniker. History Background The U.S. arm of Britain's Decca Records was established in New York in 1934 In 1937, the owner of Decca, Edward R. Lewis, chose to split off the UK Decca company from the U.S. company (keeping his U.S. Decca holdings), fearing the financial damage that would arise for UK Companies if the emerging hostilities of Nazi Germany should lead to war – correctly foreseeing World War II. Lewis sold the remainder of his American Decca holdings when war did break out. U.S.-based Decca Records ke ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Comedy Clubs
A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionist (entertainment), impressionists, magic (illusion), magicians and ventriloquism, ventriloquists. Some forms of comedy can have distinguished venues such as improvisational theatres, which host improv or sketch comedy, and variety clubs which may also host musical acts along with comedic acts. History Morocco The documentation of Moroccan comedy spaces traces its roots back to the 17th Century, encompassing rich performance practices like ''Labsat'' and ''Sultan Talba''. The origins of comedy clubs can be traced to ''Labsat'', an extravagant performance arts festival, with the noteworthy milestone of the first show staged within the king's, Mohammed ben Abdallah, Sultan Mohammed ibn Abd All ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American Academy Of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related arts in the areas of theater, film, and television. Students also have the opportunity to audition for the third-year theater company, which showcases upcoming talent to the school and community. Students can usually transfer completed credits to another college or university to finish a bachelor's degree if they choose. History The oldest acting school in the English-speaking world, the academy in New York City was founded in 1884 by Franklin Haven Sargent, a graduate of Harvard University and professor of speech and elocution at his alma mater. Sargent's vision was to establish a school to train actors for the theatre, stage. Its first home was the original Lyceum Theatre (Park Avenue South), Lyceum Theatre on what is now Park Avenue So ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its population was 138,699 at the 2020 census, making it the 45th-largest city in California and the ninth-largest in Los Angeles County. Pasadena was incorporated on June 19, 1886, 36 years after the city of Los Angeles but still one of the first in what is now Los Angeles County. Pasadena is home to many scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Fuller Theological Seminary, Theosophical Society, Parsons Corporation, Art Center College of Design, the Planetary Society, Pasadena Playhouse, the Ambassador Auditorium, the Norton Simon Museum, and the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oak Forest High School
Oak Forest High School is a public high school located in Oak Forest, Illinois. It is part of Bremen Community High School District 228 which also includes Tinley Park High School, Hillcrest High School and Bremen High School. It serves most of the community of Oak Forest, as well as portions of Midlothian and Crestwood in Bremen Township in the south suburbs of Chicago in Cook County. History In March 1968, taxpayers of District 228 approved a US$1.3 million loan from the Illinois School Building Commission to begin first phase construction of the district's fourth high school. In August 1968, the Board of Education approved the new school's name, and in September, the architectural plans were approved. The construction contract was approved in March 1969, with the plan calling for an initial "first phase" of construction, and a second phase to be added on if necessary. Oak Forest High School opened in 1971 as a remedy to the excessively high numbers of students attend ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oak Forest, Illinois
Oak Forest is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The city is out south-southwest of downtown Chicago in Bremen Township. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,478. History Human habitation in Oak Forest began during the early Holocene. This is made evident by the remains of hunting camps on what would become the grounds of the city's hospital. Several millennia later, the final known indigenous settlement in Oak Forest, a Potawatomi longhouse village, was established nearby. However, it was abandoned by the 1620s. The origins of present-day Oak Forest begins with a railroad whistle stop on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 1 block south of the intersection of 167th street and Central Avenue which primarily served area dairy farmers. This stop was located in a largely forested area of what was previously known as the Cooper's Grove Stand of Timber. By the 1880s this particular area of timber was being referred to as the "Oak Forest" due to it ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hometown, Illinois
Hometown is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,343 at the 2020 census. History Joseph E. Merrion developed inexpensive duplex houses in Hometown after World War II, targeting former GIs and their families. Hometown incorporated in 1953, and its population peaked at over 7,000 in 1958. On April 21, 1967, an F4/F5 rated tornado tore through Hometown, devastating the area, and destroying 86 homes while damaging 500 others. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Hometown has a total area of , all land. Hometown borders the city of Chicago along 87th Street between Cicero Avenue and Pulaski Road. The town's southern border is located one-half mile south of 87th, where 91st Street would be. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 4,343 people, 1,745 households, and 955 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,945 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Race To Escape
''Race to Escape'' is an American reality competition television series, produced by Axial Entertainment and Entertainment One Television for the Science Channel. It was originally announced in April 2015. The escape room themed series, hosted by comedian Jimmy Pardo, sees two teams of three competitors compete against each other, attempting to solve a series of psychological clues or puzzles in an attempt to escape a themed room. The teams compete for a prize worth US$25,000 each episode. Format Two teams of three players are placed in two identical escape rooms, differently only by color (red and blue) to be able to tell the rooms apart. They are generally locked or handcuffed in place prior to the start of the game. Once the game starts, each team has an hour to try to figure out five four-digit codes in a sequence of puzzles to escape the room, and to beat the other team to do so. Each team starts with the chance to win $25,000, but after 20 minutes, each minute they rem ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Warm-up Comedian
An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again at the end of the event, or perform with the featured act after both have had a set to themselves. The opening act's performance serves to "warm up" the audience, making it appropriately excited and enthusiastic for the headliner. In rock music, the opening act will usually be an up-and-coming group with a smaller following than the headliner. On long concert tours, different opening acts may be used for different legs of the tour. In comedy, a warm-up comedian or crowd warmer is a stand-up comedian who performs at a comedy club or before the filming of a television comedy in front of a studio audience. More rarely, a comedian will open for a music concert. Their role is to make the audience feel integral to the show and encour ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (1993–2009) and ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' (2009–2010) on the NBC television network, and ''Conan (talk show), Conan'' (2010–2021) on the cable channel TBS (American TV channel), TBS. Before his hosting career, O'Brien was a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1988 to 1991, and the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1991 to 1993. He has hosted the podcast series ''Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'' since 2018, and starred in the 2024 travel show ''Conan O'Brien Must Go'' on Max (streaming service), Max. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, O'Brien was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He served as president of ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |