“Laugh at yourself first before anyone else can.” Sure, those words were written over five decades ago by gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell, but they still ring true in every comedy club today. The ten talented comedians who performed at the Punch Line Comedy Club Wednesday night showed how self-depreciation can be one of the most entertaining elements of the show. Stand-up comedians are notorious for having the gift of somehow making all things taboo sound hilarious, and there certainly was no shortage of racial insults and sexual innuendos directed at each other as well as the audience members. A few of them poked fun at a friendly couple sitting up front who shared that they had been dat

Sacramento State’s University Union UNIQUE Programs, Student Health & Counseling Services, and Active Minds are pleased to announce The Vagina Monologues at the Sacramento State University Union Ballroom at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Eve Ensler, a playwright and feminist, wrote The Vagina Monologues. The monologues are a compilation of Ensler’s interviews with hundreds of women on their views and experiences of sex, relationships, and violence and cover issues of intimacy, vulnerability, and sexual self-discovery. Sac State’s production will include only student actresses reciting the dialogues. The Vagina Monologues are part of V-Day, a global activist movement to end violenc

HellaCappella, the most highly anticipated a cappella concert of the year, will take place Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 7:30pm at the ARC Pavilion on the UC Davis Campus. Hosted by UC Davis’ amazing, all-female a cappella group, The Spokes, HellaCappella is an exciting collaboration between a cappella groups of all shapes and sizes. Hailing from various northern Californian universities, this year’s dynamic lineup includes show-stopping performances by two-time champions of the International Competition of Collegiate a Cappella, The Men’s Octet from UC Berkeley, Cloud Nine from UC Santa Cruz, NBC’s The Sing Off a cappella competition finalists On the Rocks from University of Oregon, and

The world renowned Harlem Globetrotters were at Power Balance Pavilion Sunday to take on the International Elite, as they went head-to-head to determine who would be the world champions. Globie, the team mascot, came out before the show to entertain the crowd with a little bit of magic and some dance moves. As Globie strutted around like Michael Jackson the crowd went wild with some kids jumping up to dance along with Globie. Even though the stadium was far from sold out, the audience members made up for it in enthusiasm. Throughout the game the crowd was cheering and clapping for the Globetrotters, with a few boos thrown in for team Elite. As with all Globetrotter games this was an aud

Lewis Black had high expectations for the 21st Century. They have not come anywhere close to being met, and he is not amused. He is, however, quite amusing. Although he claims to be disappointed by the direction the world is taking, he also admits to being swept up in the inevitable pull of progress. He started a web site; every performer needs a web site. But then he found out he needed a Facebook page to promote his web site! It all came to a head when one morning he woke up after a drunk and discovered he was now on Twitter! All this, he laments, and not a single flying car. Not what he had hoped for at all. The Community Center Theater was respectably full on Saturday night when

The purple one was in-the-house at Thunder Valley Casino Resort Friday. Okay, not The Purple One (as in Prince), but the 55 year old standup comedian Sinbad, who was decked out in a freshly tailored purple shirt. I also wouldn’t say “in-the-house,” more like in-the-tent, since it was held in Thunder Valley’s Holiday Pavilion. While it’s a tent, it’s extremely spacious and exquisitely decorated, complete with several bars, restrooms and a whole lotta seats. Sinbad put on a great show, playing to a full house of young and old alike. As soon as he hit the stage, he started talking about how this was such a great location for a casino like Thunder Valley. There’s nothing around for miles ex

Aha! I’ve found Utopia and it is on a ten by ten pulpit with a steel sliding microphone stick. Instead of hate, oh the waves of laughter it creates. Where the orators can offend and there’s nothing to defend just the hilarity of truth bared down to its presence, a roll in the dark with a spotlight and a red pulsing timer. I know a place. Ain’t nobody crying. Ain’t nobody worrying, I’ll take you there. Open mic, at Laughs Unlimited on Tuesday drew over 18 comedians and more than a hundred people in the audience for comic relief. At a time when letting go of everyday reality is almost impossible, the $5 cure of a healing drink and laughter is cheap therapy.  "This is a rare time, when th

Sacramentans are in for a treat when comedian Paula Poundstone comes to the Crest Theater Sept. 30. Armed with nothing but a stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi, Poundstone draws on her own life in her stand-up show and nothing is off the table: her kids, her cats, her demanding job, her frustration at getting older and a full bag of neuroses. She’s just like many of us – except for a lightning-fast wit and an amazing ability to improvise anything into hilarity. Poundstone is a national supporter of library Friends groups and a portion of the proceeds from ticket, book and CD sales at the show will support the Friends of the Sacramento Library. She is known for being a refreshi

The Rock Away Labor Day Autism Awareness Event will be held on Sept 5, 2011 at the West and North steps of the Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 7 p.m. The Rock Away Labor Day show will feature a diverse lineup of live music, fashion shows, comedians, dance groups, a face painting area for children, raffles and more. The event is free of charge and is open to the public. The purpose of the event is to have a day of enjoyment in a family friendly environment, to create more awareness about autism, and to provide educational and community resources on the subject. In addition, a part of the proceeds from the vendors who will

The one and only Gabriel Iglesias, better known as Mr. Fluffy, performed at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort on Saturday night, entertaining well over 3,500 people with his hilarious mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects. I say well over 3,500 judging by the overflow in the parking lot next to Thunder Valley’s outdoor amphitheater. Just prior to his performance, Iglesias had over 10 chocolate cakes delivered by fans to his dressing room. He said he performed a routine around seven years ago about a chocolate cake, and to this day fans are still delivering cakes to his performances. The record is 27 cakes at one event. Why do people bring him cakes from a joke mad

Bill Maher took over an hour and a half to do it, but in the end he gave every single one of the 2,422 audience members at least one opportunity to be offended. His genius lies in the fact that every single fan was laughing too hard to notice – or to care. Maher has inherited the essence of Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He channels Richard Pryor and George Carlin. He is the crazy uncle in the attics of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. And once he gets going, no one is exempt from his biting, incisive wit. Friday night’s sold-out show at the Sacramento Community Center was a nonstop roast of all that is absurd in America today. Maher is well known as the host of the weekly political com

As many Hollywood stars and tabloid rags can attest, keeping up with fame and one's celebrity standing in tinsel town is a vicious game. Red-headed, foul-mouthed comedian, Kathy Griffin, has made a career exploiting her self-proclaimed D-list status and her observations and encounters with the peculiar world of celebrity.   Griffin's charm and clever wit derive from her hilarious ability to interact with the A-listers while still maintaining a self-deprecating attitude towards her station in the celebrity world. The comic documents many of her forays in Hollywood in her hit reality show, "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List."   Griffin's standup act often includes escapades filmed on

The legendary Paul Rodriguez celebrated Cinco de Mayo Thursday night in style at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort, playing to a sold out crowd. Joining Rodriguez on stage was Gene Pompa and Dennis Gaxiola, both accomplished comedians in their own right. Pompa opened the evening and really got the crowd excited. He says he is an old-school, hardcore political activist. For instance, he still won't eat grapes because of the plight of the migrant farm workers. He also won't eat raisins because of the older migrant farm workers. That's how hardcore he is. He also won't eat prunes, but that's for a completely different reason. Next up was Gaxiola. He really got the ball rolling with his impre

Are you looking for a fun free afternoon of comedy to entertain mom on Sunday? The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy, housed in the historic Roseville Theatre, is offering moms free admission (with one paid admission), to the Sunday, May 8 matinee performance of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The classic Shakespeare comedy about the adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors, and their interactions with mischievous fairies – is staged underwater in Atlantis – it is Shakespeare submerged. The production opens May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and continues Friday-Saturday 7:30 p.m. and Sundays 2 p.m. through May 21 at the historic Roseville Theatre, 241 Vernon St., Rosevil

On Saturday, April 30th, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year candidate Vickie Lee from Sacramento launhes the first event of her campaign to raise awareness and raise funds for cancer research.  The funds raised from this event will offer hope and support for those impacted by blood cancers such as for the local children honorees Kylie(9) from Roseville and Jackson(5) from Folsom.  Both children are going through treatment for Leukemia. With 2 young children, a full time job as an insurance and financial professional, along with the familial duty of  taking her parents to doctors' appointments, many would ask why Vickie is willing to subject herself and her family to the 1

The Humor Times and Access Sacramento will be celebrating their anniversaries this Friday by hosting a comedy and variety show. April 22 marks 20 years for the subscription based political comedic magazine, Humor Times and 25 years for Access Sacramento, the community-operated TV, Radio and Internet program. The joined celebration titled “20/25 Anniversary Variety Show Extravaganza” will take place at Coloma Community Center from 7 - 10 p.m. The two teamed up for their anniversaries due to their long friendship and having worked together previously. James Israel, the publisher and editor for Humor Times, said this is the first time they have united their celebration with anyone. “It w

By Amy Serna Keith Lowell Jensen has 21 days and counting. But by the time you read this he will have even less time than that to get strangers to pledge $2,250 for his new project. His new live stand-up comedy CD and DVD called “Cats Made of Rabbits” is a project that will only be funded if he raises that much money before the “expiration date.” But back in the day, before this stand-up comedian, from Sacramento, California was filming a comedy DVD, he found his love for comedy when he worked as a promoter for the Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation. “Mike noticed that I always watched him really carefully when he was MC'ing the shows and so he just shoved me on stage one night an

The Humor Times (20 Years) and Access Sacramento (25 Years) Celebrate Anniversaries Together with a Comedy and Variety Show Featuring Comedian Will Durst and many other performers including the 40’s vocal harmonies of “Sister Swing”, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, a magician and local improvisational comedy troupe The Anti-Cooperation League. Joint Anniversary Celebrations -- As print publications nationwide continue to fall by the wayside, the Humor Times is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary. And as corporate media continues to consolidate, Access Sacramento celebrates its 25th anniversary as the area’s local, community-operated TV, radio, and Internet production resource. The publi

On Saturday April 9th, at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, Fox40 and BloodSource hosted a fundraiser to benefit UC Davis Children's Hospital, (specifically the expansion of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and the Foundation for America's Blood Centers (FABC). This first time fundraiser included Paul Robins (Fox40) as the Master of Ceremonies, local comedian Jack Gallagher as the featured act and Dave Coulier as the headliner. Dave is probably best known for his role as Joey in the 1980's sitcom 'Full House' and for hosting America's Funniest People. However, you have probably heard one of his many voices in cartoons and movies. The fundraiser brought together many local Sacramentans th

You know that comedian, Anthony Jeselnik? Yeah, me neither. At least, I didn't until I saw him steal the show during the recent broadcast of the “Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump,” where he created some buzz for himself by deftly skewering the guest of honor and the other roasters on the dais, like Larry King, Snoop Dogg and Jersey Shore's "The Situation.” I had a chance to see him in action myself Thursday night at the Punch Line. Fremont's Sammy Obeid was the emcee and first act, mining his Lebanese ethnicity for some killer jokes about being mistaken as Mexican and Indian, as well as plenty of great sex-related material, which appeals to everyone and is always a crowd-pleaser.