Comedy Death-Ray
Encyclopedia
Comedy Death-Ray is a weekly "alternative" comedy show held every Tuesday in Los Angeles
. CDR, as it is also known, was started by former Mr. Show
writers/actors Scott Aukerman
& B.J. Porter
, who also perform as The Fun Bunch. The first show was on October 1, 2002 at L.A.'s M Bar. After more than two years, the show moved on to the Los Angeles division of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
, where it has remained ever since. Aukerman also hosts Comedy Death-Ray Radio
, a weekly radio program that features many regulars from the stage show.
's Bob Odenkirk
and David Cross
; Comedians of Comedy members Patton Oswalt
, Brian Posehn
, Zach Galifianakis
and Maria Bamford
; current and former Saturday Night Live
cast members such as Fred Armisen
, Bill Hader
, Casey Wilson
, David Koechner
, Jerry Minor
and Kevin Nealon
; FX's Louie
and HBO's Lucky Louie
star and creator Louis C.K.
; The Office
's Ed Helms
, Ellie Kemper
, B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling
; Parks and Recreation
's Aziz Ansari
and Aubrey Plaza; Curb Your Enthusiasm
's Jeff Garlin
; Reno 911!
creators Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant
; The Daily Show
correspondents Wyatt Cenac
, Kristen Schaal
, Demetri Martin
and Rob Riggle
; 24
's Mary Lynn Rajskub
and Janeane Garofalo
; The Sarah Silverman Program
's Sarah Silverman
, Steve Agee
and Tig Notaro
; Best Week Ever
commentators Doug Benson
, Rob Huebel
, John Mulaney
, Paul Scheer
and Paul F. Tompkins
; Upright Citizens Brigade
founding members Matt Besser
, Ian Roberts
and Matt Walsh; sketch comedy performers such as Andrew Daly
, Nick Kroll
, Paul Rust
, Michael "Mookie" Blaiklock, Jon Daly, Brett Gelman
, John Gemberling, June Diane Raphael
, Jackie Clarke
, Josh Fadem, Jordan Peele
, Ron Lynch and Craig Anton
; and stand-up comics such as Jimmy Pardo
, Todd Glass
, Jimmy Dore
, Jen Kirkman
, Marc Maron
, Greg Behrendt
, Brody Stevens
, Ian Edwards
, Chris Hardwick
, Kyle Kinane
, Howard Kremer, Neil Hamburger
, Greg Fitzsimmons
, Nick Thune
, Dana Gould
, Greg Proops
, Hannibal Buress
, Anthony Jeselnik
, Brent Weinbach
, Rory Scovel, Reggie Watts
, Garfunkel & Oates, Charlyne Yi
, Amy Schumer
, Eddie Pepitone, James Adomian
, Natasha Leggero
, The Sklar Brothers, Harris Wittels
, T.J. Miller, Matt Braunger
and Andy Kindler
.
A two-CD compilation of acts from CDR was released on Comedy Central Records
on September 11, 2007. It includes recordings from both the eleven-and-a-half-hour 4th Anniversary show on September 30, 2006, and their special performance at SF Sketchfest
. In addition to the CD, Aukerman and Porter have signed a deal with the website Super Deluxe
to produce three internet series based loosely on ideas from CDR. One of the shows, entitled The Fun Bunch, is to star the creators themselves.
began hosting "Comedy Death-Ray Radio
" on Indie 103.1, a weekly radio program where Aukerman interviews many of the comedians who regularly appear in the live CDR shows. The one-hour comedy-themed broadcast airs on Fridays from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. PST.
CDR Radio is now released as a podcast before airing on Indie 103.1 through Scott Aukerman
's new production company Earwolf
.
" showcase to television, and began developing a new late-night sketch comedy pilot titled The Right Now! Show for the FOX
channel, which was looking to expand its late-night comedy schedule and had expressed interest in picking the show up as a new one-hour sketch series. The show's cast and writing staff was made up of regular Comedy Death-Ray performers from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. The show's cast members consisted of CDR sketch comics James Adomian
, Maria Bamford
, Ian Edwards
, Natasha Leggero
, Mike O'Connell, Paul Rust
and Casey Wilson
. The one-hour pilot included sketches performed in front of a live audience, filmed sketches and short films, animated segments and stand-up comedy monologues. Aukerman and Porter were credited as creators, writers and executive producers. By late 2007, it had seemed that FOX
was no longer interested in picking up any new late night comedy programs, and as a result ended up passing on ordering the pilot to series. However, one of the "Right Now!" cast members, Casey Wilson
, was hired by Saturday Night Live
a month after the pilot was turned down.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. CDR, as it is also known, was started by former Mr. Show
Mr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
writers/actors Scott Aukerman
Scott Aukerman
Scottrick "Scott" Aukerman is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. In the mid-1990s, Aukerman was a writer and performer on Mr. Show with Bob and David. He currently hosts the weekly comedy podcast Comedy Bang Bang...
& B.J. Porter
B.J. Porter
B. J. Porter is an actor, writer and comedian best known for appearing on the HBO sketch comedy program, Mr. Show.Porter, along with comedy partner Scott Aukerman, perform as the comedy duo "The Fun Bunch"...
, who also perform as The Fun Bunch. The first show was on October 1, 2002 at L.A.'s M Bar. After more than two years, the show moved on to the Los Angeles division of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
, where it has remained ever since. Aukerman also hosts Comedy Death-Ray Radio
Comedy Death-Ray Radio
Comedy Bang Bang is a weekly comedy audio podcast, which began airing as a radio show on May 1, 2009. It is hosted by writer and comedian Scott Aukerman, best known for his work on the 1990s HBO sketch comedy program Mr...
, a weekly radio program that features many regulars from the stage show.
About
Regular performers include many TV and movie mainstays, such as Mr. ShowMr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
's Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
Robert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
and David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
; Comedians of Comedy members Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
, Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
, Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
and Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford is an American stand-up comedian and voice actor. She is best known for her portrayal of her dysfunctional family and self-deprecating comedy involving jokes about depression. Her comedy style draws upon surrealism and incorporates voice impressions that good-naturedly mock various...
; current and former Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
cast members such as Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, Casey Wilson
Casey Wilson
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008–2009 and currently stars as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings....
, David Koechner
David Koechner
David Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
, Jerry Minor
Jerry Minor
Jerry C. Minor is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as Mr. Show, Saturday Night Live, Delocated, Crossballs, Carpoolers and Lucky Louie....
and Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
; FX's Louie
Louie (TV series)
Louie is an American comedy television series on the FX network that began airing in 2010. It is written, directed, edited and produced by the show's creator, stand-up comedian Louis C.K., who stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two...
and HBO's Lucky Louie
Lucky Louie
Lucky Louie is an American television sitcom created by Louis C.K., that aired for one season on HBO in 2006. In addition to being the creator, writer and executive producer of the series, C.K. stars as the eponymous Louie, a part-time mechanic...
star and creator Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
; The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
's Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
, Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
, B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
; Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
's Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
and Aubrey Plaza; Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
's Jeff Garlin
Jeff Garlin
Jeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...
; Reno 911!
Reno 911!
Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and...
creators Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant
Ben Garant
Robert Ben Garant is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer.Garant was born in Cookeville, Tennessee, and grew up in Farragut, Tennessee...
; The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
correspondents Wyatt Cenac
Wyatt Cenac
Wyatt Cenac is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is currently working as a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.-Early years:...
, Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
, Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
and Rob Riggle
Rob Riggle
Robert Allen "Rob" Riggle, Jr. is an American actor, comedian and United States Marine Corps officer. He is best known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show from 2006–2008, as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2004–2005, and for his comedic roles in films such...
; 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
's Mary Lynn Rajskub
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Mary Lynn Rajskub is an American actress and comedian, best known for her leading role as Chloe O'Brian on the Fox action-thriller 24.-Early life:...
and Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
; The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program is an American television series that starred comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab...
's Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
, Steve Agee
Steve Agee
Steve Agee is an American actor and comedian, best known for his supporting role as Steve Myron on the Comedy Central series The Sarah Silverman Program....
and Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro, born Carl Notaro, is an American stand-up comic."Tig" is a nickname, bestowed upon her by her brother when both were children. Her great-great-grandfather was the mayor of New Orleans....
; Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
commentators Doug Benson
Doug Benson
Douglas Steven "Doug" Benson is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, Best Week Ever and was a contestant on Last Comic Standing in the show's fifth season....
, Rob Huebel
Rob Huebel
Rob Huebel is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.-Early life:...
, John Mulaney
John Mulaney
John Mulaney is an American comedian and writer for Saturday Night Live .In addition to writing for SNL, Mulaney has appeared on the show's "Weekend Update" segment. Mulaney also previously made regular appearances on Best Week Ever on VH1. Mulaney appeared multiple times on Late Night with Conan...
, Paul Scheer
Paul Scheer
Paul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...
and Paul F. Tompkins
Paul F. Tompkins
Paul Francis Tompkins , best known as Paul F. Tompkins, is an American actor and comedian.-Life and career:Tompkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a receptionist mother and railway worker father. He started out in stand-up comedy in 1986 at The Comedy Works, Philadelphia, PA, where he...
; Upright Citizens Brigade
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh...
founding members Matt Besser
Matt Besser
Matthew Gregory "Matt" Besser is an American actor and comedian best known as one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe who also had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998-2000....
, Ian Roberts
Ian Roberts (actor)
Ian Michael Roberts is an American actor, comedian and writer best known as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe.-Life and career:...
and Matt Walsh; sketch comedy performers such as Andrew Daly
Andrew Daly
Andrew "Andy" Daly is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for playing Principal Terrence Cutler in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down.-Early life:Daly was born in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in New Jersey...
, Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll
Nick Kroll is an American actor and comedian best known for appearing in television shows such as Best Week Ever, Cavemen and Sit Down, Shut Up. He co-stars in the shows The Life & Times of Tim and The League....
, Paul Rust
Paul Rust
Paul Robert Rust is an American actor, comedian and writer.-Life and career:Rust was born in Le Mars, Iowa to Jeanne and Bob Rust...
, Michael "Mookie" Blaiklock, Jon Daly, Brett Gelman
Brett Gelman
Brett Gelman is an American actor and comedian known for his appearances in the HBO comedy programs Funny or Die Presents and The Life & Times of Tim. He currently co-stars alongside Chris Elliott in the Adult Swim series Eagleheart.-Life and career:Gelman was born and raised in Highland Park,...
, John Gemberling, June Diane Raphael
June Diane Raphael
June Diane Raphael is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter known for appearing in films such as Year One and Going the Distance...
, Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke
Jackie Clarke is a well known New Zealand entertainer, singer and comedian. She is best known for her judging role on New Zealand Idol in 2005.-Television:* Judge for the second season of NZ Idol * Showcase - 1997...
, Josh Fadem, Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele is an American actor and comedian known as a cast member on MADtv from 2003–2008 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Brian on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital...
, Ron Lynch and Craig Anton
Craig Anton
Craig Ward Anton is an American actor and comedian. Anton is most notable for being one of the original cast of comedians on sketch comedy television series MADtv and for his role as Lloyd Diffy in the Disney Channel Original Series Phil of the Future.-Early life and career:Anton, eldest son of...
; and stand-up comics such as Jimmy Pardo
Jimmy Pardo
Jimmy Pardo is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the popular comedy podcast Never Not Funny.He is married to fellow comedian Danielle Koenig. They live in Los Angeles with their son Oliver...
, Todd Glass
Todd Glass
Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...
, Jimmy Dore
Jimmy Dore
Jimmy Dore is an American stand-up comedian who has been performing for over 20 years.-Life and career:...
, Jen Kirkman
Jen Kirkman
Jennifer "Jen" Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and actress, best known for her appearances on E!'s late-night talk show Chelsea Lately and the web series Drunk History...
, Marc Maron
Marc Maron
Marc Maron is an American stand-up comedian and podcast host.He has been host of The Marc Maron Show, and co-host of both Morning Sedition, and Breakroom Live, all politically-oriented shows, produced under the auspices of Air America Media. He was also the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention...
, Greg Behrendt
Greg Behrendt
Gregory Behrendt is an American stand-up comedian and author. His work as a script consultant to the HBO sitcom Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, paved the way for co-authoring of the New York Times bestseller He's Just Not That into You , later adapted into a film by the same name...
, Brody Stevens
Brody Stevens
-Life:Brody Stevens' family is from New Mexico and Arizona. He describes them as the "pioneering Jews of the southwest". Brody grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California. He was briefly enrolled in private school, until his mother decided he would attend public school...
, Ian Edwards
Ian Edwards (Comedian)
For the former Welsh international footballer, see Ian Edwards Ian Edwards is a stand up comedian. He has appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Live at Gotham, and HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy. He can be seen weekly at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. On August 1, Gilbert Arenas used one of...
, Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
, Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane is an American stand-up comedian originally from Addison, Illinois.-Career:Kinane currently performs stand-up regularly in the Los Angeles area. His debut album Death of the Party, released in 2010 on AST Records, has won critical acclaim...
, Howard Kremer, Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger is a standup comedian character played by comedian and musician Gregg Turkington.-Style:Hamburger's live act, which is quite different from his many albums, features a barrage of question/answer jokes aimed often at celebrity targets, including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, The Red...
, Greg Fitzsimmons
Greg Fitzsimmons
Greg Fitzsimmons is an American stand-up comedian, television writer/producer and radio host.-Life and career:Fitzsimmons has performed his comedy on numerous programs such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Chelsea Lately and Comedy...
, Nick Thune
Nick Thune
Nick Thune is an American actor, comedian and musician.Thune was born in Seattle, Washington to parents Erik and Cindy Thune. He has one sister and twin brothers. While in Seattle, Thune attended Bellevue Community College for two and a half years and did not earn a degree...
, Dana Gould
Dana Gould
Dana John Gould is an American comedian and comedy writer born and raised in Hopedale, Massachusetts. His upbringing and his extended family lent themselves to his stand-up routine, which has been seen on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central, among other places.-Career:After high school, he studied...
, Greg Proops
Greg Proops
Gregory Everett "Greg" Proops is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his work as an improvisational comedian on the UK and U.S. versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?...
, Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Buress is an American stand-up comedian and television writer currently living in New York City.Buress was featured in "The Awkward Comedy Show" special on Comedy Central, alongside comics Baron Vaughn, Eric André, Marina Franklin, and Victor Varnado, and on the FX sitcom Louie...
, Anthony Jeselnik
Anthony Jeselnik
Anthony Jeselnik is an American stand-up comedian and television writer.-Personal life:Jeselnik was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelors degree in English Literature from Tulane University, then moved to Los Angeles...
, Brent Weinbach
Brent Weinbach
Brent Weinbach is an American stand-up comedian and performer based in San Francisco, California. He is known for his experimental style and abstract, deadpan delivery. Weinbach regularly performs stand-up at the Comedy Death-Ray shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles and has...
, Rory Scovel, Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts is a Seattle-based comedian and musician. His shows are mostly improvised and consist of stream of consciousness stand-up in various shifting personae, mixed with loop pedal-based a cappella compositions. He also performs regularly on television, radio, and in live theater...
, Garfunkel & Oates, Charlyne Yi
Charlyne Yi
Charlyne Amanda Yi is an American actress, comedian, musician, writer, and painter. Her performances do not include joke-telling as in standup comedy; instead, she uses different tactics such as music, magic, games, and often audience participation...
, Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer
Amy Beth Schumer is an American stand-up comedian. She placed fourth on NBC's Last Comic Standing Season 5, and she placed second on Comedy Central's Reality Bites Back.-Life and career:...
, Eddie Pepitone, James Adomian
James Adomian
James Adomian is an Armenian-American actor and stand-up comedian. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and currently lives in New York City...
, Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero is an American actress and stand-up comic from Rockford, Illinois.-Biography:Leggero began performing at age 10, in several Chicago plays. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory. While there, she also attended Hunter...
, The Sklar Brothers, Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels is a comedian, writer and musician. He is best known as a writer for The Sarah Silverman Program, Parks and Recreation and as a recurring guest on Comedy Bang Bang.-Life and career:...
, T.J. Miller, Matt Braunger
Matt Braunger
Matthew "Matt" Braunger is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is most notable for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008-2009 and for co-starring in the web series IKEA Heights....
and Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler is an American stand-up comedian from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles.-Stand up:His material often covers the comedy industry itself, criticizing other comedians for being too predictable. One of his more notable criticisms was that of Dane Cook where he compared the...
.
A two-CD compilation of acts from CDR was released on Comedy Central Records
Comedy Central Records
Comedy Central Records is a record label founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central that puts out comedy albums by comedians that have appeared on their network....
on September 11, 2007. It includes recordings from both the eleven-and-a-half-hour 4th Anniversary show on September 30, 2006, and their special performance at SF Sketchfest
SF Sketchfest
SF Sketchfest, or The San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival, is a comedy festival founded in 2002 by Bay Area actor-comedians David Owen, Janet Varney and Cole Stratton...
. In addition to the CD, Aukerman and Porter have signed a deal with the website Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe was a comedy video website provided by TBS Networks. It was launched on January 17, 2007, folded into AdultSwim.com on May 7, 2008, and taken offline on December 17, 2008.-Description:...
to produce three internet series based loosely on ideas from CDR. One of the shows, entitled The Fun Bunch, is to star the creators themselves.
Comedy Bang Bang Podcast
In May 2009, CDR co-creator Scott AukermanScott Aukerman
Scottrick "Scott" Aukerman is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. In the mid-1990s, Aukerman was a writer and performer on Mr. Show with Bob and David. He currently hosts the weekly comedy podcast Comedy Bang Bang...
began hosting "Comedy Death-Ray Radio
Comedy Death-Ray Radio
Comedy Bang Bang is a weekly comedy audio podcast, which began airing as a radio show on May 1, 2009. It is hosted by writer and comedian Scott Aukerman, best known for his work on the 1990s HBO sketch comedy program Mr...
" on Indie 103.1, a weekly radio program where Aukerman interviews many of the comedians who regularly appear in the live CDR shows. The one-hour comedy-themed broadcast airs on Fridays from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. PST.
CDR Radio is now released as a podcast before airing on Indie 103.1 through Scott Aukerman
Scott Aukerman
Scottrick "Scott" Aukerman is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. In the mid-1990s, Aukerman was a writer and performer on Mr. Show with Bob and David. He currently hosts the weekly comedy podcast Comedy Bang Bang...
's new production company Earwolf
Earwolf
Earwolf is a comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich during the summer of 2010. It started with the preexisting show Comedy Death-Ray Radio but has since grown to include several other podcasts, with the intention of adding even more.In 2011, they announced a...
.
The Right Now! Show FOX Pilot
In 2007, Aukerman and Porter attempted to bring the successful "alt-comedyAlternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
" showcase to television, and began developing a new late-night sketch comedy pilot titled The Right Now! Show for the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
channel, which was looking to expand its late-night comedy schedule and had expressed interest in picking the show up as a new one-hour sketch series. The show's cast and writing staff was made up of regular Comedy Death-Ray performers from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. The show's cast members consisted of CDR sketch comics James Adomian
James Adomian
James Adomian is an Armenian-American actor and stand-up comedian. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and currently lives in New York City...
, Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford is an American stand-up comedian and voice actor. She is best known for her portrayal of her dysfunctional family and self-deprecating comedy involving jokes about depression. Her comedy style draws upon surrealism and incorporates voice impressions that good-naturedly mock various...
, Ian Edwards
Ian Edwards (Comedian)
For the former Welsh international footballer, see Ian Edwards Ian Edwards is a stand up comedian. He has appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Live at Gotham, and HBO's Bad Boys of Comedy. He can be seen weekly at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. On August 1, Gilbert Arenas used one of...
, Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero is an American actress and stand-up comic from Rockford, Illinois.-Biography:Leggero began performing at age 10, in several Chicago plays. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory. While there, she also attended Hunter...
, Mike O'Connell, Paul Rust
Paul Rust
Paul Robert Rust is an American actor, comedian and writer.-Life and career:Rust was born in Le Mars, Iowa to Jeanne and Bob Rust...
and Casey Wilson
Casey Wilson
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008–2009 and currently stars as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings....
. The one-hour pilot included sketches performed in front of a live audience, filmed sketches and short films, animated segments and stand-up comedy monologues. Aukerman and Porter were credited as creators, writers and executive producers. By late 2007, it had seemed that FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
was no longer interested in picking up any new late night comedy programs, and as a result ended up passing on ordering the pilot to series. However, one of the "Right Now!" cast members, Casey Wilson
Casey Wilson
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008–2009 and currently stars as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings....
, was hired by Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
a month after the pilot was turned down.
Albums
- 2007: Comedy Death-Ray (album)Comedy Death-Ray (album)Comedy Death-Ray is a two disc CD collection of highlights from the weekly comedy showcase Comedy Death-Ray , released on September 11, 2007 on Comedy Central Records. Disc one was recorded January 15, 2007, at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco...
- 2009: Xmas CD 2009 (AST RecordsAST RecordsASpecialThing Records is a stand-up comedy record label started by Matt Belknap , creator of aspecialthing.com, an internet message board especially popular with west coast comedy fans...
promo) - 2010: Xmas CD 2010 (AST RecordsAST RecordsASpecialThing Records is a stand-up comedy record label started by Matt Belknap , creator of aspecialthing.com, an internet message board especially popular with west coast comedy fans...
promo)
External links
- Comedy Death Ray Now on IFC!
- ComedyDeathRay.com - Official site
- Comedy Death-Ray Radio Wiki
- Comedy Death-Ray Radio - Earwolf Podcasting Network