Archives from 2009

Shout Factory, 1986-1990, Not Rated

Paramount, 1981-82, Not Rated

For Troy Baxley, comedy wasn’t a life-long ambition so much as it was a survival tool. “I started school very early,” he explains, “so I was smaller than other kids. Growing up, I had to be funny and a smart ass to protect myself.” He performs at Go Bana

Comedian Kevin Nealon's act gets more personal

Tags: Theater, Saturday Night Live, Weeds, Kevin Nealon, Rajiv Satyal

Warner, 2009, Not Rated

Elaine Newport arrived in Washington, D.C. in the early ’80s to be a legislative assistant to Illinois Republican Senator Chuck Percy. The piano major thought her primary course of study in college wouldn’t come in very handy. That was until a Christmas

In the fifth grade, Jerry Rocha got his first break as a stand-up comic. “My fifth grade teacher actually made a deal with me,” recalls the Texas-native. “He said ‘If you shut up during class, and don’t make jokes, I'll let you do five minutes on Fridays

Comedian Ryan Stout hopes you’re paying attention during his set. “People who are willing to sit and listen will enjoy my act,” he explains, “more than those who just want to get an emotional response to something. If I say something on stage, the set-up

“I like my comedy to make you think and laugh at the same time,” Kyle Grooms says. “I like it to be real. I like it to have some kind of focus.” Grooms originally got into comedy as a hobby. After a few years he realized he was good at it and left his jo

Though he grew up Cleveland, comedian Mike Lukas considers Cincinnati to be his second hometown. Back in the late ‘80s, the now L.A.-based comic started his first “day job” at AT&T downtown. Lukas went on to work for in-house television productions at Un

A&E, 2008-09, Not Rated

Local playwright wins nationwide search to pen play about Abraham Lincoln

(Universal) 2009, Not Rated

A class clown, Mike Epps entered a stand-up comedy competition in his teens and was so encouraged by the response that he decided to move to Atlanta to pursue his new found passion. He became so successful in Atlanta that a club owner there suggested the

2009, Not Rated

Steubenville, Ohio, native Mark Eddie started his stand-up career in Pittsburgh. He performed serious songs in coffeehouses on college campuses before parlaying his storytelling talent and musical ability into a comedy act. Today, guitar in hand, he ente

Universal, 2008, Not Rated

A&E, 2009, Not Rated

What’s new with comedian and Canton native John Rathbone? “Absolutely nothing has changed,” he states. “Except I ache more and I have less hair.” Actually, Rathbone does have some interesting news to report. “I just auditioned for Def Comedy Jam,” he say