Before becoming all Brooklyn on Bored to Death, a young Zach Galifianakis was a struggling comedian honing his craft out West. And just like old footage of Jerry Seinfeld doing stand-up surfaced this year, here is Galifianakis in 1999, at just 30-years-old, doing his routine. It's noted on YouTube that this is just one year before he appeared on Letterman, "followed by his own aborted VH1 talk show, working on the road, film and TV appearances... and then came Hangover." more ›

Remember, just a few months ago, when Tracy Morgan was at the center of a pretty serious sh*itstorm over a nasty little homophobic rant during a stand-up act in Nashville? While he did issue a formal apology shortly after the incident, it turns out that people—like David Letterman—are still talking about it, much to Morgan's chagrin. more ›

Not only does comedian Louis CK have the balls to repeatedly ask Donald Rumsfeld if he's a lizard alien, but he truly has a deep and abiding love for the city, and isn't afraid to let people in on his favorite NY haunts. Despite his recent fame, he's also still one of the hardest working comedians we've come across—every year, he throws out his old material, and forces himself to come up with a brand new set. Last night, he unveiled some of his new jokes on Letterman, during his first Late Show appearance in 15 years. Watch below: more ›

Today, in honor of fantastically cranky, Rumsfeld-baiting comic Louis C.K.'s Emmy nomination, we're taking a little trip down memory lane, to a time when Louis was young, thin, and blessed with a full head of hair. more ›

30 Rock star (and the only man alive who would have a fire in his fishtank) Tracy Morgan is at the center of a major firestorm over allegations that he went on an ugly homophobic rant at a Nashville show. According to audience member Kevin Rogers's epic Facebook note, titled "WHY I NO LONGER 'LIKE' Tracy Morgan—A MUST READ:" more ›

Stand-up comedian Greg Giraldo, host of Last Comic Standing, and a regular Comedy Central roaster, died this week of an accidental overdose at the age of 44. On September 24, the night before his death, Giraldo performed at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick, NJ, cracking jokes about Tiger Woods and drugs. TMZ has exclusive footage from his final performance you can watch. And below, you can see Jon Stewart and The Daily Show's tribute to Giraldo, in which Stewart calls him, "one of those guys you loved to run into." more ›

Passive-aggressive blogging is the new passive-aggressive note-leaving. The crutches-bound blogger behind the People Who Sit In The Disability Seats When I’m Standing On My Crutches website documents able-bodied straphangers who won't give up their seat for the disabled. He says he doesn't take pictures of anyone "if there's an open seat within sight. I also don't take pictures of elderly people, visibly pregnant women, or anyone who looks like they might have a disability." But even those getting some subway shut-eye could land on the site. Do you get up from your seat if someone clearly needs it? Seems not everyone pays attention to the “Stand Up for People with Disabilities” campaign. more ›

Jim Gaffigan might be the last of a certain era of comedians as a stand-up who simply does wry, observational jokes and yet still commands a great deal of respect from both the mainstream and also as a "comedian's comedian." He makes frequent appearances on Late Night, both performing stand-up as well as premiering webisodes of Pale Force, the series that animates Gaffigan and Conan O'Brien as underfed superheroes. Gaffigan is recognizable from around the dial where it's from My Boys, the TBS sitcom he co-stars in or a series of commercials he did for Sierra Mist. He's a transplant from Indiana who is married and raising two kids near the Bowery. He'll be performing at Town Hall from November 26th through the 30th. more ›

The Islanders keep giving Garth Snow a reason to believe. Thursday it was a 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay that put New York back into a playoff spot. more ›

Governor Spitzer is facing opposition in his attempt to snuff out any Javits Center expansion by selling land surrounding the center to fill budget gaps. The administration still plans to renovate the convention center, but it will result in far less space than what was originally envisioned for the expansion, which would have cost between $1.8 billion and $3 billion. Senator Charles Schumer, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn oppose the land sale, which would effectively eliminate the possibility of any future expansion. more ›

More than just a funny comedian, Elon James White (myspace) is becoming a notable force for his efforts to introduce new audiences to the sometimes overlooked diversity of talent within the world of black comedians. In other words, there’s more to black comedy than you might think by watching Def Comedy Jam. By creating The Black Comedy Project with comedian Baron Vaughn, White has helped cultivate an expanding community of artists who might be classified as Black-Alt comedians, for lack of a better term. At the end of the month, White will gather some of most innovative performers in New York for the first ever Black Comedy Experiment festival, which runs from February 28th to March 1st. The three day marathon (it’s a leap year) features an intriguing lineup of stand up, sketch comedy and solo shows, all gathered under one roof at the The Tank (Collective: Unconscious) in Tribeca. Tickets. more ›

The Reverend Al Sharpton organized a rally of about 400 people outside the Suffolk County courthouse to protest the conviction of a black homeower in a white teen's death. They chanted, "Step down, DA, step down, DA" as well as "Free John White! Free John White!" more ›

PARTY: Though we were sad to see former editor, Colleen Kane, depart the media mothership of maleness, Playgirl magazine...the show must go on. Tonight come celebrate their January issue and their 2008 centerfold calender...all at once. Free booze and gift bags for all! 7 to 10pm // Happy Ending [302 Broome St] // Free THEATER: For “sophisticated literate slapstick, big on laughs highbrow and low,” Culturebot recommends 500 Clown Frankenstein. Although the cast is 497... more ›

Oprah Winfrey introduced one of her favorite things people at what the NY Times called "the largest spectacle of the campaign cycle" - the Oprah for Barack Obama rally in Des Moines, Iowa. Winfrey said, "For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and to speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America," and told the audience of 15,000 said, "I am... more ›

Entertainment Weekly’s #1 “smartest” Hollywood player, Judd Apatow, says “it doesn’t look good” for an end to the writers’ strike any time soon. The well-connected catalyst behind hits like Knocked Up has told the Toronto Star that the studios and producers are prepared to dig in and crush the union’s demand for payment for Internet downloads and movie streaming, “which are expected to become a big part of the industry in the coming years.”

It would cost very little money to end the strike and (the producers) are basically trying to create a way of paying people so that when the Internet explodes, they’ll wind up paying less than they do now to writers. And I don’t think they’re going to get away with it. The writers really failed to stand up for themselves with the DVD (in a previous contract dispute) and they feel terrible about it, and enough of them will not give up that it will have to be resolved in a reasonably fair manner.

SHOP: Tonight head to Dumbo for an “Evening of Cheer,” where three neighborhood events coordinated by the Dumbo Improvement District will be taking place. "The night’s events combine Dumbo’s monthly cultural event, First Thursdays, with extended shopping hours and promotions by local retailers and the illumination of the Empire Stores in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park by famed lighting designer Brendon Boyd." 6pm // Various location details here EVENT: Tonight some experts gather around to celebrate... more ›

Tonight striking writers and friends will take the stage again for a 2nd Strike Night! Joining John Oliver (The Daily Show), Liz Cackowski (Saturday Night Live), Andy Secunda (Conan) and Maggie Carey, Joe Grossman (Letterman) is John Mulaney -- possibly one of our favorite young comedians today. Mulaney helped host one of our Movable Hype shows last year and currently can be seen on stages around town and on screen at Best Week Ever. Buy... more ›

It's been quite a 24 hours for Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. Last nght, he was at the Apollo for his first Harlem event. And this morning, he had breakfast with Mayor Bloomberg at a Midtown diner. At last night's $50-per-ticket fund-raiser, both Cornel West and Chris Rock introduced Obama. West asked the audience to think about entertainers like James Brown and Billie Holliday, who "represent a way of life that goes all the... more ›

The city is showing the door to a daycare facility that has called P.S. 122 its home for 26 years. The Children's Liberation Daycare Center (CLDC), which serves 88 kids between the ages of 2 and 6, is going to court later this month to object to its ejection from the building, with no plan for the daycare center's return. The CLDC shares P.S. 122 with three arts organizations and it's the city's Dept. of... more ›

Marc Maron's record 38 Conan appearances are a testament to his ability to be consistently funny, intelligent, and engaging. It's this ability that's landed him two Comedy Central Specials, multiple programs on Air America, and appearances in clubs nationwide, including Comix on October 12th and 13th. And while credits and portions of Maron's own quips may hint at his talent, the best way to get a taste of Maron is to visit MarcMaron.com, where you can watch any of his 38 Conan appearances and several uncut and uncensored full-length stand up performances. more ›

, isn't the standard memoir. It's not about getting addicted to drugs and going to rehab or about living on the streets and selling her body. It's about what happens when you start doing stand up for ten minutes every night at the dinner table when you're eight because you don't want your adopted parents to send you back to the adoption agency because you didn't provide the "hours of entertainment" that they expected and never stopping, not when you're meeting Jon Stewart on your first day at the Daily Show, not when you're going through a divorce, and not when you meet the friends and family of your live in boyfriend for the first time after the death of his wife. For this reason, Weedman's memoir is non-stop funny and provides "hours of entertainment". And she'll be reading at McNally Robinson on October 10th and the UCB Theater on October 11th. more ›

, an engrossing and greatly entertaining account of not just Fillmore's presidency, but also his life, travels, and observations of 19th century politics and social moirés. Alone, Pendle's work amounts to only small bites out of this great injustice; the real change comes when you devour this book. more ›

For one night only, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Garlin is bringing his popular LA show Combo Platter to NYC's UCB Theater. Every installment of CP begins with Garlin asking the audience for a topic that inspires a freewheeling conversation between he and his high-profile guests, in this case Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Susie Essman and comedian Jim Gaffigan. A true gourmet comedy treat! more ›

The Kid From Brooklyn sees famine, war, and despair in the world's future. " I've got foresight," he says, but even he could never have predicted his own popularity. Michael Caracciolo started his website TheKidFromBrooklyn.com to entertain friends and family, uploading videos of himself ranting wildly about whatever he happened to feel passionately about that moment, whether it be border control, the President, or even Starbucks. It's led to television appearances, a memoir about his childhood in Brooklyn called "Go F Yourself" due out in December from Kensington Books, and even stand up performances, including one at The Gotham Comedy Club on August 29th. Gothamist sat down with The Big Man to get a taste of what he's all about. more ›

• Tigers 8 Yankees 5: Detroit is a great offensive team and the question the Yankees have to answer is, can their pitching stand up to a great offensive team? In the first of eight games against Detroit, the answer was a resounding no. more ›

The NY Times reports that Newark authorities may be close to naming a suspect in the Saturday night execution-style shootings of four people. Three friends were killed, while the fourth, Natasha Aerial, survived being shot in the head and has been talking to investigators. The Star-Ledger offered this description of the crime:

Aeriel, her younger brother, Terrance, and two of their friends, Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower, had driven to the school playground to drink, eat and listen to music, authorities said. But at around 11:30, a group of Hispanic men gathered near them. Scared, the friends exchanged text messages saying they should leave. more ›

NY1 is reporting that City Councilman Dennis Gallagher has been indicted on rape charges by a Queens grand jury. Yesterday, the Queens City Councilman told the grand jury the sex was consensual. more ›

Jen Kirkman does it all. Hilarious stand up, talented improviser, and a terrific writer. She's in town to do some stand up and to perform at UCB's 9th Annual Del Close Marathon and Gothamist sat down with this triple threat from LA to discuss growing up on a golf course, the pursuit of fame, and sassing customers. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›