Recent Videos of Comedy Pals

Feel like avoiding work and having some fun? Enjoy this special edition of Bella Video: Comedy Friends I'm Lucky To Know.

Kyle Kinane on Carson Daly's show last week. He packed the house with Chicago friends (including TJ Miller, whose show debuts on ABC next week!) and they all hooted and screamed from the audience. He did almost the exact same set at my show the week before, and the crowd loved him. He looks like such a crochety old man with the beard and the hat, but like every other Chicago comic I know, he's a big ol' pussycat:



Hannibal Burress, who was on the Craig Ferguson Show last night, in a zippy little promo for the Lakeshore Theater. Seeing him at the Globe open mic the night of the Ferguson show made me realize that, since I always have my tiny Olympus digital recorder in my bag all the time anyway, I should start doing on-the-scene audio interviews with people. Stay tuned for that.



A promo video for Kumail's one-man show, "Unpronounceable," at the Lakeshore Theater, soon to hit the stages of NYC. Yes, he and our beloved Emily have sold off their excess furniture and are taking off within the week. After his going-away show at ChUC last week, I prudently had one drink and left on my bike at 12, because I was taping my Chicago Public Radio bit early the next morning, but the next day I heard stories about rounds of shots and partying until puking. I always miss all the fun!



And my favorite of his Blerds videos, "He-Man," featuring the greatly-missed Pat Brice:



And while we're on the subject of Blerds ("...comics who'd rather see last call than their checking balance; who think Dave & Busters is a law firm; and learned the hard way that your grandma can only die once a semester"), a few other favorites. Here's Matt Braunger's "Unattractive Man" video. For what it's worth, lots of chicks (including me) think he's adorable.



Robert Buscemi's "Russell Stover." Buscemi calls me McQuern, which I'm cool with, just because I like it anytime someone pronounces my name right, plus he got me the gig with Chicago Magazine. He is a ridiculous brilliant weirdo. K-Rock knows how to pick 'em.



Jared Logan's "Complete Breakfast." I got Jared and Buscemi into an argument last night over whether it's a good idea, creatively, to tell jokes offstage or not. You'd think I'd said "Religion or science: pick one!" I'm still not sure what the right answer is. I also told them a charming anecdote about my great-grandma's pet monkey that totally grossed them out. (And they're comedians, people.) Just ask Buscemi sometime what Chico will do for a peanut. He might curl up into a ball and cry.



And CJ Sullivan's "Business Papers." CJ patted me on the back after my set at Sunday night's open mic, so I love him now. He popped into ChUC last night and I made fun of him for wearing a suit jacket like some kind of respectable grown-up.



Renee Gauthier, who, in what I like to call "reality," is tiny and adorable, was used as a bizarro-world "chubby friend" contrast to Victoria Beckham, (yeah, Posh Spice), for whom she unfortunately served as personal assistant. Renee was nice enough to give me this interview about her experiences with that gig. Posh Spice can bite it, as far as I'm concerned. Renee is foxy, sweet, and hilarious.