Articles By James Ostime
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Reviews
Mike Rita Pot Comic Published May 06, 2019Conventional wisdom posits that weed encourages creativity, while stifling productivity. You might get some great ideas while high, but you'...
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Amy Schumer Growing Published Apr 18, 2019Amy Schumer doesn't care for preamble. Comedy specials tend to open with an anaemic sketch, or at least backstage footage. Growing begins wi...
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Ellen DeGeneres Relatable Published Apr 11, 2019Are stars "just like us"? Does fame and fortune rob someone of the ability to be "normal"? Can a celebrated, award-winning, wealthy comic, t...
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Colin Quinn The New York Story Published Jul 21, 2017Anyone who has sat through the theatrical experience of a one-man-show might cringe at first blush of Colin Quinn: The New York Story. After...
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Jim Norton Mouthful of Shame Published Jul 07, 2017With the current political climate such as it is, the debate continues to rage over what a public figure can or can't and should or shouldn'...
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Maz Jobrani I'm Not A Terrorist But I've Played One On TV Published Apr 07, 2017Maz Jobrani's friend warned him that he'd better have a good show when he played L.A.'s Wiltern theatre, "or else the headline will be 'Iran...
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Katherine Ryan In Trouble Published Mar 31, 2017There's an inherit neediness to standup comedy that even seasoned practitioners have difficulty shaking off. The sweaty "Have you seen this,...
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Mo'Nique I Coulda Been Your Cellmate Published Mar 24, 2017Mo'Nique is no stranger to tough crowds. Her standup career has outlasted sitcom gigs, talk shows, and an Academy Award winning performance...
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John Caparulo Come Inside Me Published Mar 17, 2017John Caparulo knows his audience. A Southern good ole boy, he punctuates his drawling bits with foul-mouthed rejoinders that give him laughs...
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Kathleen Madigan Bothering Jesus Published Mar 10, 2017Preceding Kathleen Madigan's arrival on the stage at the beginning of her special Bothering Jesus, audience members and viewers at home real...
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Dana Carvey Straight White Male, 60 Published Jan 27, 2017For many comedians, Saturday Night Live must represent the brass ring. Yet for those who have passed through the venerable institution, perh...
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Iliza Shlesinger Confirmed Kills Published Nov 25, 2016Iliza Shlesinger begins Confirmed Kills by taking to the stage like a prize fighter. Her name glitters ten feet high as music blares and sta...
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Rodney Carrington Laughter's Good Published Nov 08, 2016Rodney Carrington positions himself as a good ole boy, a regular Joe, the type who "tells it like it is." Maybe it's the current political c...
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Jim Gaffigan King Baby Published Nov 04, 2016Jim Gaffigan is so adept at his craft, he can even predict how you're reacting to it. At least that's the premise of his recurring "Audience...
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Sebastian Maniscalco Aren't You Embarrassed? Published Oct 04, 2016Sebastian Maniscalco thinks there are several people that ought to be ashamed of themselves: overly permissive parents, reviewers on Yelp, a...
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Melanie Comarcho Hello! Published Sep 23, 2016Melanie Comarcho isn't here for everybody. She has no truck for small men, for instance. When a short guy asks her, "What can a big man do t...
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Heather McDonald I Don't Mean to Brag Published Aug 30, 2016As the title of her special suggests, Heather McDonald doesn't mean to brag, but things are going well for her. This married mother of three...
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Heidi Brander Big Shiny Jokes Published Aug 05, 2016"My name is Heidi Brander and I'm originally from Prince Edward Island," she begins her new album, Big Shiny Jokes. "Which is why I look lik...