Humor

"A Boozy Night of Holiday Merriment" (And Sketch Comedy)

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Back in July, local sketch group Killing My Lobster (featured on Uptown here here here and here) teamed up with the non-profit theater company Z Space for a one-night-only sketch comedy show a la SNL, in which the writers, set designers and actors were only given 50 hours to prepare the jokes.  That show, KMLZ, went so damn well that they're bringing it back tomorrow night (Saturday, 7 and 10pm) for a holiday edition:

San Francisco's premiere sketch comedy group, Killing My Lobster, teams up with the Bay Area's best new works company, Z Space, for a special one-night-only event:  “KMLZ Holidaze.” A little bit “30 Rock,” a little bit “Star Search,” and a whole lot of holiday madness, KMLZ Holidaze answers the question: What do you get when you lock a dozen comedic writers/performers in a room for 50 hours between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Something weird, funny, and holiday-lightful.

A veritable advent calendar of hilarity, KMLZ Holidaze will feature sketches and shenanigans all about family, tradition, that weird channel on the TV that plays the fireplace, animals singing Christmas carols, the proper spelling of Channukah, yule logs, fruitcakes, and nutjobs.

And while that sounds great n' all, Jack from Z Space let's us know that there are sprinkles on this Christmas cookie:

Not to go unmentioned— Z Space has a liquor license and full bar, and the Lobsters like to drink. This should be a boozy night of holiday merriment. If you want to see the show, buy a ticket for the 10pm performance and use the code “DrunkenLobster”. It gets you a free beer with your ticket to the 10pm show.

Local comedy and a free beer? There!

[For more insight into the 50-hour process, Theater Bay Area has a nice big write-up on the KMLZ shows]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

No Saving Seats With Gnarly Appendages

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Local humorist Doug Chagnon breaks down this awful scene:

I considered asking him to move his feet and grab the seat next to him but was afraid I would get Athlete’s Ass.

In all fairness, my living room looks just like a MUNI car.

His most egregious offense? The plastic bag.

Ladies and gentleman, the 99%.

At least he is wearing pants.

Read on for additional insight and analysis.

Kick-off Thanksgiving with a Little Comedy

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

The day before Thanksgiving. You've got nothing going on. Your friends have real family to hang out with. Your dickbag cousin's in town and wants to hang out. He's down to go to a bar and “catch up”—you'd rather not.  So what's there to do?

Get high on Mission Street and laugh at jokes.

That's right, our pals over at The Business are bringing you an evening of home-cooked jokes, just like grandmother used to make [zing!].  And what the line-up they have:

It is an All Thanksgivinged Eve to remember at the Dark Room this week, as we welcome a cornucopia of guests to the Business. From Los Angeles, we have Aparna Nancherla and SF native Emily Maya Mills, and from New York City, we have Alameda's own Emily Heller! Holy shit, if the Wampanoag had brought this kind of lineup to the Pilgrims back in 1621, they all would have died of laughter! And probably scurvy or rickets, because medicine was very primitive back then. […]

We've also got regular Businessman Sean and Bucky, the gravy to this holiday smorgasbord. Also expect surprise guests, cardboard hand turkeys, pumpkin-based snacks, and one thousand six hundred and twenty-one laughs. $5, no wampum.

It goes down tomorrow (that's Wednesday) at 8pm at The Dark Room Theater.  No wampum.

[Facebook / $5 / Weed not included]

SF Sketch and Film Group, Killing My Lobster Looks to Open a New Theater in the Mission

— By Jon Skulski |

The Mission's own Killing My Lobster has been producing video shorts, plays and sketch shows since 1997. If you haven't seen their live sketch shows, you might be familiar with some of their SF centric digital shorts. 

KML is now looking for their own dedicated theater, which would also be rented out to other groups. They have found a space on 24th and Mission and could use your help.

Killing My Lobster has finally found the perfect location to build a premier theater space. A project which brings to an end 15 years of wandering from theater rental to theater rental. The space resides in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission district on 24th and Mission St.

The new venue would be a creative hub to hundreds of artists including actors, writers, choreographers, musicians, stand-up comedians and whoever else requires a theater for their production. Killing My Lobster also needs a versatile work space to allow them to expand the classes they make available to the community.

Check out their kickstarter and their show schedule. KML also offers sketch-centric writing and acting classes for those inclined.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Zero Drugs Taken At Burning Man Due To Police Presence

— By Jon Skulski |

Captain Steve Grabowski and Lieutenant Sarah Jones are up for promotion after leading a valiant police effort that has eliminated drug use at the event known as Burning Man.

Officers Grabowski and Jones receiving accolades for winning the War on Drugs at Burning Man.

Over 50,000 artists, musicians and others wishing to experiment with “radical self-expression” gather at Burning Man each year. The event is a haven for the strange and bizarre and is notorious for the use of drugs such as LSD-25, MDMA, and Cannabis.

“Our mission here is not to stop young people from having a good time but to protect them from getting hurt.” Captain Grabowski places handcuffs on a young woman. She was found in possession of a drug testing kit, a tool used to determine what kind of drug a user has bought. “We are in the business of harm reduction,” says Grabowski.

Richard Thomas, an event attendee known as ‘The Postman’, regrets spending his summer building his sculpture ‘El Pulpo Mechanico’, a two story mechanical octopus that spouts fire from its arms.

Richard Thompson's 'El Pulpo Mechanico' which will not pay the pickle man.

“It’s not like I can pay bills with a mechanical beast,” says Thomas. “I’m not going to send my three year old daughter to a state school just so I could blow some people’s minds. That’s just irresponsible.” Thomas has plans to open a chain of furniture stores.

Gabriella Martinez, Director of Admissions for UCSF, has seen the impact first hand. “We have had a 153% increase in enrollment for our MBA program while the Art department is struggling to fill enrollment for next year,” says Martinez. “We can’t thank the Nevada Highway Patrol enough.”

The next Burning Man will begin on October 1st, 2012. There are preliminary plans to change the venue to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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