Recorded live at “Luna’s Cafe” in Sacramento, Calif.

“To the Moon” — Sacramento comedian Keith Lowell Jensen’s first comedy CD — has enough gems to make it worth your while. It’s 28-tracks range from the mild, mirth-evoking “Success High” and “The Kings” to the edgy and clever “Gold Medal in Gay” and “Porn Backwards.” His humanity was evident in “Strip Club Panhandler,” as it makes us pause to notice the paradox of how we spend our money.

Jensen is smart and doesn’t dumb down his delivery. He has a rich vocabulary at his disposal, which is more effective than a million f-bombs. I’m no prude, but I found that my favorite pieces were those without excessive profanity. The “funny” in them felt more unforced and un-labored.

While some tracks felt somewhat choppy, the last track, “To the Moon,” is a poignant, beautifully told, wondrous and very funny tale of brotherly betrayal and my favorite. After listening to the entire album, I was left wanting more of Jensen’s storytelling, which reminded me of Bill Cosby’s, and less of the short quips.

I got Jensen on the phone and was elated when he told me, “I’ve gone in a much more storytelling direction since that CD [‘To the Moon’].” He said that if someone asked him what his comedy genre was, today he’d reply, “Storytelling.”

Jensen, a Sacramento-based comic has been busy on the west coast working and booking rooms throughout California, Oregon and Washington. Though he has opened for many major headliners, he is excited about the opportunities coming up to perform with national touring comedians like Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Jimmy Dore and Larry “Bubbles” Brown in the next few months.

“I’m getting to work with all of my heroes,” he said.

Catch up with Jensen on Facebook for the details. “To The Moon” is available at the link below and on CDBaby.com, and iTunes.

Editor’s Note: Comedian David Lew has agreed to document “Stand-Up Boot Camp” for AmericasComedy.Com exclusively. You’ll be receiving daily reports. This latest “Stand-Up Boot Camp” is run by two very famous, funny men — Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease. “Boot Camp” takes place over five days, eight hours each day, at the “World Famous Comedy Store” in Hollywood, where some of the most famous comedians of our time were first given the opportunity to perform and fine-tune their acts . . . a tradition which carries on today. “Boot Camp” includes guest speakers, ranging from national headliners to managers and agents.

Day 3

9:45am- My ride got us in a little late. We walk in on a conversation Louie is having with everyone about different contacts around the states in regards to stage time.

10:45am- Jason Moffett is an impromptu guest speaker. The original guest speaker was rescheduled. Jason is attending the bootcamp but has only a passing interest in stand up. He is a very successful online marketer, so he spent a great deal on stage describing different methods of gathering contacts online.

11:45am- Kyle arrives and replaces Louie, and Louie says he’ll be back at 2pm. Kyle talks about his set that he did the night before at the Pasadena Ice House. And by many accounts, it was one of the best sets

LUNCH

2:11pm- KEVIN NEALON TIME! Kevin is a legend to me; because my dream is to become an SNL cast member. The funny thing is that he had no intention of joining SNL. But he was friends with Dana Carvey and other cast members, so he was always around the show.

Kevin just reiterated what all comics have been saying; in order to be successful as a comic, you have to go up as much as you can as often as you can; That has been the main message that all comics have brought up. Stage time is key to success, and also having an original point of view; which is what everyone is after.

3:00pm- I invited Darren Carter (“The Party Starter!”) to come out to bootcamp to give any advice that he can. I know how much Darren loves comedy and loves helping young comics; so this was the perfect place for him to help out.

I also want headlining comics completely not affiliated with bootcamp to come see what they are doing here. So then when they go do shows and people mention bootcamp, they’ll be able to have a positive outlook on it. Because a lot of people have a problem with bootcamp, and it’d be nice to have advocates who have actually been to bootcamp.

3:30pm- Kyle joins Darren on stage and they are both going to have a student go up and do time, then critique his performance. During their critique, Russell Peters walks in. They wrap up the critique and its time for RUSSELL! Arguably the biggest name to appear at Bootcamp. Russell covers his seemingly rocket propelled success. Some who aren’t aware of his 21 year career think that he is an overnight success. Wrong. He didn’t have his big break until 17 years in the business!!

In February 2006, he made $700 at a college gig; then his YouTube clips hit millions of views, and by that November, he sold out 4 shows at the same college, making thousands. WOW. And now he’s #9 top earning comedian with an estimated $10 million made. He talked about his writing style. He takes an idea and works backwards, he’ll take a funny punchline and build a joke around it. While most comics, start with a premise and work towards a punchline. It was amazing to see Russell up there on stage with Louie Anderson, a legend sitting with a new legend of sorts.

Once Russell is done, the Bootcamp wraps for the day! They announce that everyone gets in for free at the Comedy Store tonight for “Louie & Friends” show, which is awesome. The show’s line up is Kevin Nealon, Russell Peters, Kyle Cease. What a lineup for free! OH YEAH AND LOUIE ANDERSON as the host! Which shows, the host is the most important part of the show!

Click Here To Watch Ty’s Video on YouTube!

Editor’s Note: Comedian David Lew has agreed to document “Stand-Up Boot Camp” for AmericasComedy.Com exclusively. You’ll be receiving daily reports. This latest “Stand-Up Boot Camp” is run by two very famous, funny men — Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease. “Boot Camp” takes place over five days, eight hours each day, at the “World Famous Comedy Store” in Hollywood, where some of the most famous comedians of our time were first given the opportunity to perform and fine-tune their acts . . . a tradition which carries on today. “Boot Camp” includes guest speakers, ranging from national headliners to managers and agents.

Day 2

9:15 a.m. — Louie [Anderson] immediately begins by talking about anxieties on stage and what happens when your set has completely derailed. He tells the boot-campers that they should own their screw-ups on stage, that that can make all the difference. Louie also said “Stand-up is the expression of your heart at it’s finest. A real comic allows the crowd to feel that much closer to him after listening to him.”

9:45 a.m. — Kyle [Cease] takes over and gives Louie a break. He begins to talk about setting new patterns for yourself and your comedy. Creating successful writing and performing habits. Setting aside time to write and to go over material everyday. Prioritizing your life by making your career first. (Harland Williams just walked in backstage.)

10:15 a.m. — Harland Williams is our first guest speaker of the day. He describes starting out in Toronto back in the 80s. He also talks about developing his voice and stage persona and cautions us that, if we are to do a character, that we should do a character that’s in our hearts because we will have to live with that character for the rest of our career.

Harland was really describing the performance side of stand-up and not focusing on the writing. He described TV appearance after TV appearance where he was completely improvising, which is rare because most comics have everything scripted out on television.

Harland talked about a club owner early on telling him that he was hilarious but “too weird and out there.” But he refused to change his style and stuck to his guns. “No one ever told Picasso to change his brushstrokes,” he said. I’m not really conveying how hysterical Harland was while he was speaking. He had everyone in tears, but still gave out very honest and necessary advice. The best advice he gave was to keep your eye on the horizon. Set a goal and never veer. He was the first guest speaker to get a standing ovation. It was earned.

11:15 a.m. — Kyle starts to talk about a couple different type of writing processes. A boot-camper (we’ll call her “Julie”) asked a question about stage fright, so Kyle brought her on stage to do two minutes of stand up. When Julie walked up on stage, you could see the nervousness on her face. She began her joke with trepidation and doesn’t get a laugh from anyone. Kyle joins her on stage again and walks her through one of the many exercises to get rid of stage fright. Five minutes later, she was getting laughs and opened up about being a cancer survivor. Once she opened up about her cancer, she was more lively and smiling. There was a huge transformation within seven minutes. She was a thousand times more comfortable on stage.

11:45 a.m. — I wasn’t familiar with our second guest speaker, Alan Havey, which often means he’ll make a big impact on me. (I’ve that noticed comics of whom I’ve never heard tend to have the biggest effect on me.) In his fifties, he definitely has had a lot of experience in show business. He talked about the ebbs and flow of the business. He’s the first guest speaker I’ve seen with notes, which, to me, that he was very excited to talk about comedy. Alan covered the gambit when it came to stand-up and acting: the audition process, bombing and professional etiquette as a comic. All of it was very “no frills” and honest. My favorite piece of his advice was “Silence is golden,” which referred to never publically announcing every audition or every set you do on Facebook, because you’ll have to relive the auditions you don’t get or the sets where you bomb every time someone asks you, “How did that audition go?” Havey says the element of surprise is the best reward. Having friends and family call you when they see you performing is the best prize for anyone.

12:50 p.m. — BREAK FOR LUNCH

2:00 p.m. — We are introduced to our third speaker, a legend in the writing business, Carol Leifer. Does her name not ring a bell? Then I implore you to find out more. She has been a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “Seinfeld.” This woman knows comedy. And she showed it. She was poised and had a great Q&A period with the boot-campers. I always expect female comics to focus on the female aspects of comics, but she pointed that out as a crutch women use. Carol says female comics are afraid of not connecting with all audience members so they narrow their scope in hopes of not failing. She was really great and, at the end of her session, sold her book at cost for the boot-campers. She also signed the books and took photos for her fans.

3:15 p.m. — There was no break between guest speakers because during Carol’s session, Tom Wilson walked in. (There are murmurs that Carlos Mencia may be stopping by.) Tom Wilson may not be a household name, but he has a household face. Tom played “Biff” in the “Back to the Future” series. Tom Wilson has been to previous bootcamps and he is a comic favorite. He doesn’t sugar coat or pussy foot and is always honest when speaking. He started out by listing 10-20 comics who have died in the past, either by suicide or drug overdose. Tom believes that most of those comics had a false belief that the stage fixed all other aspects of their life, which he says is dead wrong. Tom goes on to say that stand-up “is my job. It’s the most fun job I can have and I’m lucky to be able to do it. But it’s not my life.” I think that’s the most healthy way to look at stand-up.

Tom also brings up a fourth guest speaker, Jim Hope, a friend of his who began his career as a comic and moved into a career as a producer and writer for “Titus” and “The George Lopez Show.” He spoke briefly about focusing on finding out what your vision and voice are as a comic. Jim said that once you figure that out, writing becomes so much easier. Jim also points out how incredibly important it is to build positive, long lasting relationships with fellow comics. Building strong friendships and maintaining a positive reputation will follow you throughout your career. On the flip side of that point, bad reputations will also follow you and possibly derail your career. Great advice!

4:50 p.m. — Our last speaker of the day is Tim Sanders, author of “The Like-Ability Factor” and “Love Is a Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends.” He was a speaker on Day 1, but came back to talk to us about social media. He also gave us all his book, “Love is a Killer App . . .” Tim went over so many useful tips as far as Facebook and Twitter, advice that I will be going home to utilize tonight! What a gracious individual Tim is. It’s always a breath of fresh air when I see successful people reach out to up-and-comers. Tim really believes that the more you genuinely give, the more satisfying your life will be. And, I’m believing that more and more as this boot camp goes on.

6 p.m. — Boot camp, day two, is over. As far as guest speakers, this is the best boot camp they have ever had. To be honest, I don’t know what the skill level is as far people in attendance, but I can say that we’re getting every penny’s worth . . . and we are just two days in. Tomorrow’s line-up includes Kevin Nealon, Russell Peters, Eddie Griffin, Craig Shoemaker and more!



Headlines August 12 th For One Night Only!

MTV’s “Disaster Date” Tour with K-Von & Geoff Keith!

MTV’s hit new hidden camera show, “Disaster Date” trusted two comics to pull off the main pranks, K-von and Geoff Keith. With their quick wits and fierce left handed compliments, these two can be seen on TV daily making their poor dates hilariously run for the door. Now K-von and Geoff are here for a special one-night comedy event. With collective appearances on SHOWTIME, Comedy Central, HBO, and many more, these two stand-ups will leave you with a night to remember.

After touring for years with Pablo Francisco and independently, Geoff has added an arsenal of hilarious stories to his laid back style. Not to mention, his ability to work the crowd leaves the audience on their toes while doubled over in laughter. K-von built his stand-up credits on the road with the likes of Jamie Kennedy and Persian funny-man Maz Jobrani. His high energy and quick pace provide for surprise punch lines and explosive laughter. For more information go on www.K-vonComedy.com or www.GeoffKeith.com

Click here for Reservations and to buy tickets!

Tell them you saw it on SacramentoComedy.Com!

Click Here To Watch K-Von & Geoff’s Video on YouTube!

Headlines September 10 – 12

Shawn was born January 19, 1971 in New York City. He and his siblings were raised in relative poverty. Shawn said about his notably humorous family in Jet: “Dinner itself was funny because we didn’t have nothing to eat. So we had to crack each other up for dinner in order to fill each other up.”

Luckily, the elder Wayans were soon to change all of that. Shawn made his acting debut in 1989 in the movie I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, a movie written and directed by brother Keenen. From there he joined the cast of In Living Color, a family effort–every single one of the famous Wayans clan acted in the popular television show at some point.

Marlon, born July 23, 1972, went to the Performing Arts High School in New York City, and then attended the Howard University Film School. He, too, started out his acting career in the movie I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, and then joined the cast of In Living Color in 1992, two years after Shawn. He was also seen in Mo’ Money with his brother Damon, and then, in 1994, in the movie Above the Rim with Tupac Shakur.

In 1995 Shawn and Marlon launched their own television show, The Wayans Brothers. Although they began with little power over the direction of the show, they eventually ended up not only acting in it, but also producing, writing, and directing it as well. The show, Marlon told the Onion.com, was about “two brothers who are trying to make it in this world, and it’s all about family. Me, I think family is key, and if you have love for family, then you have love for others–and you have unity as a people.” It was a television success and aired on the WB network for five years and was the first show off the popular network to be sold into syndication. Shawn and Marlon were beginning to make their own names and ways in the entertainment business, and they were on their way up.

The brothers reunited in 2000 for their summer hit, Scary Movie. This film, too, was a spoof, this time poking fun at the rash of popular teenage horror flicks like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. “I think we were watching I Know What You Did Last Summer” Marlon said in Jet, “and we said ‘I know what I’m gonna do next summer. I’m gonna make fun of all these…movies I’m so tired of seeing.” Scary Movie became Miramax’s highest-grossing movie of all time and reached number five on the list of top earners for the summer. The movie did so well that a sequel, Scary Movie II, was immediately planned.

Also in 2000 Marlon and Shawn were asked to host the MTV Video Awards. The president of MTV told PR Newswire, “It’s obvious the comedy gene exploded in the Wayans family and we’re thrilled to have Shawn and Marlon hosting this year’s show.” That same year, Marlon appeared in the movie version of the board game Dungeons & Dragons. With such multi-faceted talent under their control, Shawn and Marlon Wayans are certain to be around, spoofing and poking fun at everything they can, for many years to come.

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Click Here to Watch Shawn & Marlon’s Video!

Headlines September 30 – October 3

Jay Oakerson began honing his storytelling style of stand-up comedy after a series of dead-end jobs, like driving around strippers and escorts in his hometown of Philadelphia. This won him the comedy portion of the Salem Orb-E Future Faces Competition and gave him the chance to perform at New York City’s noted comedy club Carolines on Broadway.

Now an eleven year stand-up veteran, the 32-year-old New York City resident has made comedy his full-time job, flooring audiences with anecdotal bits about ultra-macho frat boys or being too fat for karate. Jay has performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and is currently starring and writing consultant on the hit IFC show Z-Rock, where he received critical acclaim for his performance as “Neil”, the sexually questionable owner of a NYC rock club. Jay has also appeared on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Dave Attell’s Insomniac Tour, and was a contributing writer for Chappelle’s Show.

Keep an eye out for Big Jay Oakerson’s half-hour special airing on Comedy Central and the release of Big Jay Oakerson: An American Storyteller available now on Comedy Central Records & iTunes. Big Jay is coming off a 7 week tour opening for KoRn and is currently on tour with Rockstar Mayhem Fest!

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Tell them you saw it on AmericasComedy.Com!

Click Here to Watch Jay’s Video!

Headlines September 23 – 26

The Hollywood Reporter just named him one of the top 10 rising comedy talents from around the world, and Askmen.com dubbed him “Comedy’s New Rock Star”.

Both are apt titles, considering that Sugar Sammy is touring the globe like a rock star, setting attendance records around the world for sold-out shows in four languages – English, French, Punjabi and Hindi. International critics, from Canada to Dubai, are unanimous in their praise of his uproariously funny material, his laconic delivery and his universal insight on multicultural society.

A Canadian born to Indian parents, Sugar Sammy draws on everything from arranged marriages in his own Indian ancestry to his views on deviant sex, drugs and modern day relationships. Brilliantly entertaining and relatable, Sugar Sammy will have you laughing, thinking, and seeing life in a whole new way.

Sugar Sammy was featured in his own comedy special “Sugar Sammy Live in Concert” for HBO Canada in June 2009. His special on Showtime Arabia, “Sugar Sammy Live in Dubai” will air in Dubai and 14 countries throughout the Middle East in September 2009. His other television specials include the Showtime Arabia specials, “Minorities Rule” and “Friday Night Live”, CBC’s “Just For Laughs”, CTV’s “Comedy Now”, and appearances on The Comedy Network (Canada), The Comedy Channel (Australia), and on Dutch TV.

He’s won the Just For Laughs Comedy Award for “Discovery of the Festival”, and garnered many other honors, including nominations for this year’s M!M!M! Awards, as well as the Canadian Comedy Award for “Funniest Male Comic”.

Sammy continues to tour the globe and prove that laughter is indeed universal. He’s performed in the USA, UK, Australia, South Africa, India, Ireland, Holland, Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong, Thailand, The Philippines, and the Caribbean. He also toured across Canada promoting his CD, “Down with the Brown”, and was forced to ad shows in every city, due to overwhelming demand.

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Tell them you saw it on AmericasComedy.Com!

Click Here to Watch Sugar Sammy’s Video!

Headlines September 17 – 19

From “Stella” &
“Michael and Michael Have Issues”

Michael Ian Black is a multi-talented actor, writer, comedian and director. He’s also a filmmaker, having written and directed the MGM DVD release, “Wedding Daze,” starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. He also wrote the original screenplay for “Run, Fatboy, Run” (2008), starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton under the direction of David Schwimmer.

Black’s most recent comedy series, “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” appeared on Comedy Central this past year. He and former State colleague Michael Showalter created, starred in, wrote, directed and produced this comedic look at the intertwining lives of two contentious best friends. Along with Showalter and David Wain, Black created, starred in and co-wrote the Comedy Central series, “Stella.” He’s one of the lead commentators on VH1’s “I Love the…” series. His writings on contemporary culture have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, Filter, CMJ Magazine and McSweeney’s online.

Black starred opposite Paul Rudd and Janeane Garofalo in the USA Films cult hit, “Wet Hot American Summer.” He appeared in “Reno 911!: Miami,” “The Ten,” “Partners” and “The Baxter.” He’ll next be seen opposite Topher Grace and Anna Faris in “Kids in America.” For four years, he starred on NBC’s hit drama, “Ed”. Most recently, he shot a lead role in the upcoming Crackle series, “Backwash”.

His career began when Black graduated from NYU and co-created, co-wrote and starred in the acclaimed MTV sketch comedy show, “The State.” From there, he co-created, co-wrote and starred in the Comedy Central series “Viva Variety.” He was also the voice and forearm of the popular Pets.com sock puppet. Black gives comedy lectures around the country under the title, “The Awesome Life with Michael Ian Black.” He also performs stand-up comedy in clubs all over the U.S.

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Click Here to Watch Michael’s Video!

Headlines September 10 – 12

Host of G4’s “Web Soup”!

I am Chris Hardwick. You probably recognize me from TV. You don’t realize that’s where you know me from, but it is. You think you went to college with me or I look like your cousin’s friend, but that is not the case. At one time or another you stumbled across me on your moving picture box in such cerebral gems as MTV’s Singled Out and Noam Chomsky’s Shipmates.

I was also in House of 1000 Corpses, which you were afraid to see because horror films make you pee a little. I was also in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which you are somewhat reluctant to give me credit for, because I was only in a couple of scenes and I was not a robot.

When I told you about, Guys Like Us, a series I did on UPN, you replied, “I don’t get cable,” ignorant of the fact that UPN was freely available in many of the contiguous United States until its black heart was sliced out and carelessly jammed inside the WB’s desiccated corpse to form the Franken-channel of “The CW”. “I was on KROQ in Los Angeles for THREE YEARS!” “Radio is a dead medium,” you scoffed. “Well, I’m not only an alumnus of the 2001 US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO, but I went back in 2005 as half of the musical comedy duo Hard ‘N Phirm!” “Why would I care about stand-up comedy amid a bunch of drunken, nouveau-riche mountain dwellers and their many unnecessary art galleries?” Again I tried to appeal to your sycophantic sensibilities. “Guess who’ll be appearing at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal this year??” Again, you rejected me. “French-Canadians talk too throaty.” “But HnP is about to tape its very own half-hour special for Comedy Central! Surely that must…” “Meh.” Your judgments against me are growing tiresome. Still, I’m nowhere near being done with you yet.

Rob Zombie is producing my solo comedy album, Blood Pudding, AND I did a CS-fucking-I for crapsake!! Truthfully, I don’t care if or how you know me, or what opinions of me have formed like wax bottles in your important head. Just enjoy me NOW. I am from Memphis and my father was a professional bowler. Thank you for giving this indulgent essay one hundred and four seconds of your life that you will never get back.

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Click Here to Watch Chris’ Video!