Category Archives: National Comics

Stavros Halkias Comedy Works Debut

On Sunday, September 12, 2021 Stavros Halkias will be making his Comedy Works debut!!

After dabbling with comedy in college, Halkias started performing regularly in his hometown of Baltimore, where he was named New Comedian of the Year in 2012. Since then he’s toured clubs, colleges, and independent shows across the U.S., been featured on XM Satellite radio, and become a regular on Robert Kelly’s You Know What Dude podcast.

You Know What Dude podcast

Stavros Halkias is a stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the popular podcasts Cumtown and Pod Don’t Lie. He’s also widely known for his body-positive Instagram account, @Stavvybaby2.

Stavros has made appearances on Comedy Central, IFC, and the MSG Network, where he wrote and performed on the Emmy nominated, People Talking Sports and Other Stuff.

People Talking Sports podcast

Catch Stavros LIVE in Denver at Comedy Works Downtown in Larimer Square on September 12, 2021! Tickets are available for the 6:00pm and 8:15pm shows at ComedyWorks.com

Comedian Jenny Slate Releases Book

Looking for a good, funny read as we head into the winter months? Comedy Works veteran, Jenny Slate, has just released a brand-new book, Little Weirds.

The book is a collection of essays that explore a wide variety of topics – from thoughts on a haunted house to more serious topics such as divorce. Slate weaves in self-reflection and personal insights as she goes through each subject. The essays range in length and are easy to read. Slate herself describes the work as 48 different pieces where the reader can open up to any one theme and just start reading in any order of his or her choosing, but she recommends starting from the first page and reading in consecutive order as she designed the book that way.

Reviews for the book have been very positive since the release with an average four out of five stars. Mindy Kaling calls the book “magical”, and John Mulaney described it as “funny, poignant, and beautiful.” To read other reviews, click HERE. Little Weirds is Slate’s first solo print publication, but she has previously co-authored three other works: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Things About Me, Marcel the Shell: The Most Surprised I’ve Ever Been, and About the House. Marcel is a popular children’s book series that has also been made into a stop-animation short film, teaching the importance of finding something good in each day.

Slate started her career as part of the comedic duo, Gabe & Jenny, and quickly rose to fame after initial recognition by Time Out New York in 2008. Television and film credits include: Saturday Night Live, Zootopia, Gifted, and Comedy Central’s Drunk History. You can also currently catch her as the voice of Missy Foreman-Greenwald on the animated Netflix series Big Mouth. In addition, Slate has a comedy special on the streaming service, Stage Fright, that has received a lot of industry buzz and hype.

To read an excerpt of the book, click HERE.

New Jim Jefferies show on NBC

If any comedy nerds out there miss Jim Jefferies’ FX show Legit, you should get excited about the new NBC show. NBC has committed to a new untitled Jim Jefferies-Suzanne Martin comedy pilot. The comedy will feature a fictional version of Jefferies. He will be starring in the show as himself offering commentary on modern life issues and the complexity of relationships. Currently there is not a premiere date that has been announced but look for one soon! In the meantime, check out Jefferies on his comedy show, The Jim Jefferies Show, on Comedy Central!

Michael Kosta gets his first Comedy Central Special

Michael Kosta, currently seen on The Daily Show, is going to headline his first stand-up special on Comedy Central, the same network that produces The Daily Show. The special is going to be recorded from Detroit’s Gem Theatre in November and then air on TV sometime in Summer 2020. Kosta has appeared on popular shows such as The Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Conan prior to joining the Comedy Central team. He is on our “must-see” up-and-coming comedian list making this special definitely one to check out!

CHELSEA HANDLER VISITS THE RED TABLE

Chelsea Handler recently visited the famous red table for an episode of Facebook Live’s Red Table Talk, hosted by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Jones (Jada’s mother). While Handler was there, she promoted her new Netflix documentary, Hello Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea along with discussing her comedic past and personal viewpoints. In addition to the new special, she also just completed a podcast series based on her latest memoir, Life Will Be the Death of Me. The podcast shares the same name, and there are 20 episodes available. You can check out the podcast episode listing on iHeartRadio HERE and information about the documentary HERE.

TOUGH CROWD WITH COLIN QUINN

Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn ran from 2002 to 2004. It was a breathe of fresh air in a politically charged society. It also started a format that is still used today in the podcast world. Colin Quinn was the host and would have a variety of topics that his 4 comic panelists would share witty and sometimes controversial opinions. With regular appearances from Nick Di Paolo, Greg Giraldo, Patrice O’Neal, and Jim Norton, the show from beginning to end was smart, clever and funny. Tough Crowd is probably best known for when Dennis Leary and Greg Giraldo got into a fight while taping. Never a dull moment, Tough Crowd is a great throwback to a time when funny was just funny. Watch the video of Di Paolo, Giraldo, Carlin and Norton on Tough Crowd. Though it is topic driven, it still remains relevant and speaks to the culture today. To see more episodes head to Youtube where most of the episode are available.

Kevin James Stars in New NASCAR show

Kevin James is coming back to a multi-cam sitcom! “The King and Queens” star is teaming up with NASCAR to bring a racing themed show to the streaming giant, Netflix. He will play the role of an old-school crew chief in the midst of a modernizing sport. Jeff Lowell (The Ranch & Two and a Half Men) will be the show’s writer, showrunner, and executive produce. James will also bring back some producers and writers from “King of Queens”. This will be one of Netflix’s rare dabbles in multi-camera comedies, with most of their previous shows either cancelled or coming to an end.

Kevin James and NASCAR plan on having the show ready for streaming in mid-2020.  

Hiking with Kevin (Nealon That Is)

Comedy Works alum Kevin Nealon is back for a third season of his YouTube series, Hiking with Kevin. This series follows Kevin Nealon as he takes a hike (literally) with a famous actor or comedian. Kevin’s show is a spin-off of another famous show, Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Past guests have included Conan O’Brien (Conan), Colin Jost (Saturday Night Live), Jack Black (Jumanji, Shallow Hal), and many more! This season’s hikes will include Alec Baldwin (Saturday Night Live), Sean Hayes (Will and Grace), and Tiffany Haddish (Night School). New episodes are added to Kevin’s YouTube page weekly.

Dan Cummins almost filmed his new special at Comedy Works!

Dan Cummins might be one of the only touring comedians right now who lives in Idaho! Dan, who is a native to the state, moved back with his family three years ago to get away from noisy Los Angeles. Cummins is currently working on a new special, set to film on October 17th, 2019! Dan, who was a guest on The Church of What’s Happening Now podcast with Joey Diaz, wanted to record his special in Denver at Comedy Works. Unfortunately, he was already booked in November and had to shoot in October, so the timing didn’t work out. We hope that Dan shoots his next special here, because Denver loves him!

Don’t miss Dan Cummins live at Comedy Works Downtown in Larimer Square November 7th-9th! The host of The Church of What’s Happening Now, Joey Diaz, will also be in Denver at the Paramount Theatre October 12th!  

Saturday Night Live’s First Asian-American Cast Member is from Denver!

It is hard to believe that SNL has never had an Asian-American cast member in their 45-season run. This season, Bowen Yang will be joining the legendary sketch show as on-camera talent. Yang, a Smokey Hill High School graduate, started the 2018 SNL season as a writer and finally got his chance to get in front of the lens.  In high school, Yang was voted “Most Likely to Be A Cast Member on Saturday Night Live”. The Las Culturistas host began comedy in Smoky Hill’s improv troupe, Spontaneous Combustion, and eventually moved to New York to attend college at New York University. Yang and Matt Rogers were at Comedy Works last month recording a Las Culturistas live podcast. We are so incredibly proud of Bowen for being the first Asian-American cast member. Denver will always be your home!