Archive → April, 2010
Kevin Camia
Kevin Camia is one of the fastest rising stars in the comedy scene. I’ve known this guy for quite a while and he’s the real deal. He’s good friends with Allan Manalo and Tim Tayag. He’s one of the best writers out there in the circuit and he can do Filipino audiences and mixed audiences as well. This video is just a snippet of this guy’s awesome skills on stage. I hope you enjoy him.
Jon Santos Shows
Jon Santos
Jon Santos, the closest comedian I’ve seen to pure stand up, is one hilarious impressionist. He wears costumes but actually has his own point of view in his material. He’s very original and multi-talented. I’ve seen him several times and he is a very skilled performer and knows how to deliver a great performance. For the people in Angeles City, he has a show at Holy Angel University on May 8, 2010 @7PM.
Filipino American Comics and Their Mothers
If there’s one thing I noticed about Fil-Am comics is their staple bit about their mothers and how funny they sound with their accent. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I find it a bit hacky when a Fil-Am comedian does this because every Fil-Am standup that I’ve seen has a bit that portrays their mother (or sometimes their father or uncle) talking in this funny way. I’ve seen Rex do it (in fact, I’ve noticed most of his act revolves around this premise: 1st generation Filipino Americans talk funny). I’ve seen Jo Koy do this. And I’ve seen about every Pinoy comic do this.
It makes me wonder, do they get laughs because the situation or the character being portrayed is truly funny or is it just funny because they sound funny when they talk? Now I also understand that they are telling a story from their perspective and it just so happens that their reality is that their parents really have a problem with their “f”, “p”, “v”, and “b”. Call me an elitist, but my parents don’t talk that way. The most that I’ve heard them say that’s remotely similar to this accent is the way they pronounce “menu” and when they refer to a band as a “combo”.
In my opinion, it seems that it’s such an easy way to get a laugh. You could just go on stage and because of the novelty of Pinoy comedians, anything they say with this “funny” accent immediately gets a laugh. Also any Filipino profanity will get you laughter: “putang ina”, “titi mo”, or “lintik kang bata ka”. Maybe I’m being judgemental and a hypocrite, but there’s something about this that bothers me. Then again, it just bothers me when someone just goes for the cheap laugh. Or maybe I’m getting this all wrong. Maybe the most important thing is getting the laughs with the risk of being hacky. After all, people pay to laugh and not to really analyze.
In the meantime, since this for the most part is not my reality, I just try to be as real as possible with the characters in my material and represent them as I see them with a little bit of exaggeration.
4th Annual Hong Kong International Comedy Festival and Competitions
hi comedy fans!
TakeOut Comedy is excited to announce the schedule for The 4th Annual
Hong Kong International Comedy Festival from Oct 6-16!
This year, we welcome back SHECKY WONG (as seen on Comedy Central,
Showtime, MTV)! He helped open our club in Feb 2007 and we are excited
to see his return. He is one of the godfathers of Asian American
standup comics. He has been on the comedy scene since the 1980’s,
appearing on numerous TV shows and on the national comedy club
circuit.
We will also have VIVEK MAHBUBANI (2007 Chinese and 2008 English HK
Funniest Comedian) perform his FIRST English One Man show!
We will as always also have Open Mics, Improv by Peoples Liberation
Improv, a Free Standup Comedy Workshop, and our growing Chinese and
English Standup Comedy Competitions!
We have grown tremendously since our first festival in 2007,
especially our English Standup Comedy Competition! Last year, we had
30 contestants representing 16 countries compete for $20,000HK in cash
prizes! The Finals last year had 9 comics representing 9 different
countries!
This year, we hope to more international as now we have $40,000HK in
cash prizes for the competitions!
If you want to compete, please go to www.hkcomedyfestival.com and
download the application. The deadline is Sept 1, 2010.
THANKS and all details are on www.hkcomedyfestival.com!
cheers and its great to bring more laughter to HK and Asia!
jami:)
TakeOut Comedy Club HK
www.takeoutcomedy.com
(852) 6220 4436
3 Quick Tips to Improve Stage Presence
I found this article by Filipino point-of-view stand up comedian Tim Tayag to be very useful. I hope it helps…
Most comedians are skilled in delivering jokes. But sometimes they have bad stage habits. And there’s nothing that destroys a funny bit than bad stage management. These are the 3 simple things that I learned that maybe small things but make a big difference in your stage performance. Take it from me, I’ve been performing for 13 years now and counting.
1. Find your light. Some comedians like to make use of the whole stage by walking around ala Dane Cook. But you also have to consider the lighting limitations. If you step out of your light, meaning the audience can’t see your face, you will have a harder time making a connection with them and getting the laughter that you so badly need. So the trick is, to figure out the space that you can move in without losing the light.
2. When you scream for emphasis or lack of a real punch line (sometimes screaming can fool an audience that you’re actually saying something funny even if you’re not), make sure the mic is far away from your mouth. Nothing is more annoying than a comedian screaming into the mic directly and blowing a few eardrums. We understand what you’re trying to emphasize, just hold the mic to the side or at least a foot away from your face when you do so.
3. If you’re the type to take the microphone out of the stand, don’t leave the stand in front of you. It creates a barrier between you and your audience. As soon as you take out the mic, grab the stand and put it to the side or behind you. You want to be as intimate as possible to the crowd without actually taking your clothes off, unless that’s what the act calls for (although I doubt it).
Trust me, with these simple tips you can improve your stage presence. It won’t make you funnier but it can make you look more seasoned as a performer and a speaker.
Original article can be viewed here:
3 quick tips by pinoy comedian Tim Tayag