Yet another big week of comedy is upon us, with Stephen Merchant coming across the pond and putting together three nights at Largo. Be sure to check out the full week, including Bill Maher down in Irvine on Sunday night. more ›

There are shows happening everywhere from the beach to Pasadena, so be sure to get out and get happy. Monday night features a rare stand-up-only show on the main stage, featuring Rebecca Corry, Drew Droege and more. more ›

Welcome into 2012, everyone. We've been doing this weekly comedy calendar for too many years to count now, and there aren't any plans to slow down in the near future. So, if you've got shows you'd like to recommend for the near future, email 'em over and you might just find it hear. Otherwise, enjoy yourselves, behave, and laugh like madmen. more ›

While the second half of the week is relatively quiet (considering how this town clears out for the holidays), there's still plenty of great stuff to see, including a Christmas benefit with Patton Oswalt. And, as always, the Laugh Factory is hosting free shows and meals for the underprivileged on Christmas Day, which is simply amazing. Happy holidays, everyone! more ›

It's holiday party season, where festive folks put on their finery in search of a good time. Why not get a little dolled up and make it out to some of this week's great comedy shows? From Brea to the ocean breakers, comedy abounds. All it's missing is you. more ›

You can't trust the outdated website, but there *should* be some sort of Eagle Rock Comedy Festival going on this week. Should. more ›

Save those pretty pennies to support local talent, L.A. Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival is returning to SoCal for its fall holiday event, offering unique handmade items for community-conscious shoppers. Be selfish and score goods for yourself and/or start crossing off friends and family members on your holiday shopping list. more ›

Between the police helicopters and white-hot dual beams denoting the latest club opening (don’t cross the streams!), our city is downright diluted with light pollution. One place you wouldn’t always expect to see a few shining lamps streaming skyward, though, would be an apartment complex just off the 405 in Culver City. You’d be even more surprised to find a really inventive comedy show happening on the roof. more ›

It's the first full week of September and you're likely riding high after a three day weekend. Why not keep the blood flowing with any one of this week's great comedy shows. Stand up, improv and sketch are all out in full force. Check it! more ›

Don't let those calendars fool you, summer is still here! And with it, plenty of opportunities for great comedy. It's going to be an extended Labor Day weekend for most, so get out and enjoy yourselves with a superb week of shows. more ›

The Echo and Echoplex are opening their doors this weekend to several bands originally slated to rock the cancelled Sunset Junction Festival. If you haven't heard by now, the L.A. Board of Public Works denied the festival's permit on Wednesday. more ›

Sandra Bernhard strutted onto the Redcat stage Thursday night, garnering two standing ovations - one upon her entrance and another as she said goodnight to her fans and the L.A. premiere of her new show, "I Love Being Me, Don't You?" Clad in a black and silver distressed dress luring peeks at her midriff and thighs, Bernhard stills looks and sounds fierce. more ›

Outside of Groundlings or the occasional Upright Citizens Brigade one-person show, most live comedy shows in Los Angeles eschew the cloak of true character in favor of the thin veneer of an accent or slight affectation. Well, if Andre Hyland had his way, he’d change all that. Or not. more ›

As of today, August is here, so why not try to beat the upcoming heat with some indoor sports - like comedy. There are a ton of great shows that are guaranteed to keep you begging to stay in out of sun. Check it! more ›

HotHouse is a different show altogether. No velvet rope, not a square inch of advertisement, and no tickets at the door. You won’t find show reviews, photos, tweets, texts, sexts or anything else, from the audience or the performers. Just a stand up venue that comics know well and love to get booked on, because for once there’s an event in town that’s not built on hype. Go figure. more ›

It’s hard enough to produce, book, and then promote your indie stand up show in any neighborhood in Los Angeles, to say nothing of shoving it downtown into a venue that tells you right in the name you might not be willing to make the weeknight trip: Far Bar. Between the thin alleyway entrance and the proximity to the deliciousness of Daikokuya, it’s a wonder any of the comics ever find their way into Frolic. more ›

As the week slows down in anticipation of the July Fourth holiday, you can expect a great mix of shows to be heating up. Gravid Water is back at UCB on Sunday, Largo has Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt and more - all tonight. Oh, and Albert Brooks is at the Writers Bloc. Good golly! more ›

In this town, you’ll spot about as many new burger places as you will alternative stand up comedy shows. That is, a lot; especially along Sunset Boulevard as it drags its way from the beach to Elysian Park. (OK, maybe Pacific Palisades isn’t a hotbed of comedy, but you get the idea). So when The Park on Sunset in Echo Park - with their fantastic Wednesday night burger deal - decided to host a Monday night stand up show, the Eastside comedy feeling was a resounding “…totally…”. more ›

The name Groundlings is ubiquitous to not only the comedy landscape of Los Angeles, but to all of America. As a smallish school along a particularly shop-heavy strip of Melrose, Groundlings has helped to usher in fresh face after fresh face to the homes of millions of Americans. more ›

‘Tartuffe’, the 17th century French comedy by noted playwright Molière, can certainly be a bit heavy-handed at times. Written largely as a critical piece against the then-current Louis XIV administration (oh, how time flies), the play tackles themes of religious piety, virtuous behavior, and out and out sexuality - all in a few thousand rhyming couplets. Of course, the writing is a superb reflection of the times, yet something may be lost in the translation to today’s more modern, media-consuming culture. Great substance, but in the overgrown steel edifices of some downtown proscenium theater, there’s not a lot of context. more ›

We’ve come so far together, us comedy folks. Time was, the ‘alternative’ stand up scene meant practically anything outside of a dedicated club, from rented out basement theaters to milk crate seating in the back of a Denny’s. Enter: Joel Mandelkorn… and a whole bunch of other people, actually - including co-producers Mandee Johnson and Betsy Koch. The point is, Mandelkorn, Johnson and Koch, co-producers of the highly acclaimed monthly Super Serious stand up show, have brought a little bit of class and a lot of talent to the stage. more ›

What a big week for Pete Holmes - dude is everywhere! Not to mention the shows you're going to see him on are all LAist favorites, from the star-packed Super Serious Show to the charity-driven Indiglo, and every stand up, improv and sketch show in between. more ›

Well, Brent Weinbach sure is the star of the week. He's all over town, prepping for the upcoming Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Elsewhere, yours truly has a show, Benson is at Largo, and there's more than enough improv to go around. more ›

It's a dog-eat-dog week in comedy, but the Doberman's share has to be going to the Hollywood Improv. Their Improv Lab continues to book talent at a high level, and the unique shows they churn out are an absolute model for how to do comedy right in Los Angeles. more ›

In the mood for something subversive? You're in luck. The ever-peculiar John Waters will be taking the Royce Hall stage on February 23rd as part of the ongoing UCLA Live season. Parents: you've been warned. more ›

It's another wild comedy week here in LA, and there are quite a few charity shows to throw into the mix. Alison Becker's monthly INDIGLO show is happening this week at MBar, the Chris Gethard Show is rolling into UCB, and Tiger Lily looks to kill with an amazing line-up. more ›

Hey kid-o's! What a great week in comedy LA has lined up for us, including Holy F*ck, Meltdown, Nick Thune, and Eddie Izzard! Be sure to check out the full calendar so you don't miss anything great. more ›

Just when you thought Largo, the hip comedy and music venue on La Cienega, couldn’t get any cooler - they go and do something like this. On Monday, October 11th, they’ll be hosting the West Coast rendition of Punchline Magazine’s Five Year celebration, and essentially all bets are off. So far Greg Proops, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Whitney Cummings and Chris Hardwick are all slated to slay the stage; that is, in addition to the giveaways, the after-party and the inevitable special guests. How dare you, Largo. more ›

‘Free’ is a much heavier word than it sounds. Free as a bird, you say, or free thinker. But there is another side to free, filled with warnings and buyers doing their best to beware. When it comes to free, you get what you pay for, they say, and usually that’s true. But every once in a while, a freebie comes along that is so pure, so honest, and so worth the price of admission ($0) that the only words you’re left with are: Holy Fuck. more ›

The "Last Girl on Earth" certainly wasn't lonely last night as thousands of screaming fans packed the Staples Center for her headlining concert. In a show that featured a dramatic set, and an opening performance by pop sensation Ke$ha, Rihanna reportedly wowed the crowd. more ›