Thank the comedy gods for midseason replacements, right? The one we’re most looking forward to is Bob’s Burgers, which will land on Fox. It’s an animated series that follows the misadventures of a family-run burger joint that just can’t seem to turn a profit. H. Jon Benjamin — who will also be heard as the lead character on the second season of FX’s Archer this year — voices the misdirected patriarch; Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal voice two of his children.

Judging by the newly released trailer below, the show has a very deliberate Simpsons feel, both in comedic tone and from a visual standpoint. As long as the scripts are written well, we can’t see this show not being funny, what with the amazing voice talent on board. Check out the preview below and let us know what you think.

We were plain tickled when indie comedy darling Kristen Schaal revealed to us back in January of 2009 that she would be making a proper television pilot out of her creation Penelope: Princess of Pets, her popular web series. We were less excited to know that it would be airing only in the UK on their Channel 4– because, we don’t live there. But then, we thought, hey, this is like a comedy gift we’re giving to our friends across the pond. And that made us feel better about the whole thing.

Anyway, the lucky UK’ers could check out the finished pilot on April 21 at 11:05 pm. And what can they expect? Penelope’s (Kristen Schaal) gift of talking to animals “has taken her, along with her orphan friend Kyle (Kurt Braunohler) and bird Ruby, all the way to England, where they have just 3,762 hours to save the world from the evil MP Thomas Stone (Julian Barratt),” according to Channel 4’s site.

For now, whether you live here in the States, in the UK or anywhere else on this blue-green sphere — has China banned comedy and fun on the Internet yet? — you can check out the trailer for the show here. Enjoy!

And after the jump, check out an episode of Penelope: Princess of Pets, in its original web series format.

Read the rest of this entry »

Is there anything better than a comedy with an all-star cast? Yeah. But here’s one that looks cool.

With Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Schaal and an unlikely cast Jeff Dunham, the upcoming Dinner For Schmucks has one of the most well-rounded comedy ensembles in recent memory. It was directed by Jay Roach of Meet The Parents fame. I watched the trailer twice and still don’t understand the premise, but it looks funny. The movie is set for release on July 23. Check it out.

Sick of watching the same Family Guy re-runs over and over? Me neither. But there is a promising new option under way for fans of animated hilarity. Fox is getting ready to air Bob’s Burgers, an animated comedy from Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive, the minds behind Dr. Katz and King of the Hill, respectively. What’s more, comedians Eugene Mirman, H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal and Dan Mintz have all signed on to voice characters on the show.

“Bob’s Burgers came out of the fact that Fox’s animation brand centers mostly on family – but that he also wanted to dabble in workplace comedy” Brouchard told Variety. “Besides the focus on the family and its restaurant, Bob’s Burgers will also tell stories about the town that surrounds it. It’s a little more urban than other shows going on. Bob’s Burgers has an outer-borough, Jersey feel to it.”

The half hour comedy is set to air in early 2011.

Remember a few weeks ago when we reported on a series of stand-up tapings being hosted by John Oliver? You’re about to see the fruits of those tapings, and then some. Comedy Central has ordered six one-hour episodes of the series, which is appropriately titled John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show.

“When John Oliver said he wanted to host a stand-up series featuring his favorite comics, the only real question we had for him was ‘How soon can we do it?’” says Elizabeth Porter, Comedy Central’s senior vice president of specials and talent. “He’s a staple on ‘The Daily Show’ and is such an exceptional stand-up comic. It’s awesome to know our audience is going to get more of him this way.”

“It’s the most worthwhile way you could spend an hour each week that doesn’t involve getting Mount Rushmore gradually tattooed across your stomach,” says Oliver.

Guests on the series include Paul F. Tompkins, Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Brian Posehn, Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirman, as well as Maria Bamford, Greg Fitzsimmons, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Nick Kroll, Matt Braunger, Hannibal Buress, Pete Holmes, Amy Schumer, Chris Hardwick, Matt McCarthy and Hari Kondabolu.

The series premiers Jan. 8 at 11 PM on Comedy Central. Check it out!

How often do some of the world’s coolest comics get together for a wild comedy romp in one of the world’s coolest places? The answer, since last year’s Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, is at least once a year!

Eugene Mirman is launching his second annual eponymous comedy fest, in which the hilarious and very well connected comic gathers a bushel of his funniest friends for a few nights of alt-comedy mayhem. In the words of the man himself, “Last year myself and a few friends put on a slightly ridiculous comedy festival in Brooklyn. We had fun so we’re doing it again.”

The shows run from Thursday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 20 at Bell House and Union Hall, two highly enjoyable Brooklyn bar/venues. This year’s guests include some of the biggest names in comedy, including Michael Showalter, Todd Barry, John Mulaney, Kristen Schaal and Marc Maron. Check out the fest’s website for more info on the shows’ lineups and ticketing. Also, look for Mirman’s upcoming album, God Is A 12 Year Old Boy With Aspergers, which comes out Oct. 6 on Subpop.

Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal bowed for about a minute and a half in appropriate mock theatricality as they took the stage together for a rare co-headlining show at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on June 27.

The Flight of the Conchords co-stars didn’t fill the 1,200 seat venue, but the crowd that was gathered there stayed energetically giddy for two hours in which Mirman and Schaal performed together and apart and then together again, like a Billy Joel/Elton John show with fewer ballads and far more irony.

Schaal was up first, with a forty minute set that showcased her ability to slip from surreal to sweet to sexy/creepy (at least when she was crawling along the edge of the stage) with hilarious results. I was curious to see what she’d do in a solo live show, especially after seeing her kill in the Comedy Tent at this year’s Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival. But that short set was with her sometimes-partner Kurt Braunohler, in an act that played like a bizarre take on the classic comedy duo model. (At one point, Schaal galloped across the stage as Braunohler sung “Kristen Schaal is a horse” over and over again until his voice took on lunatic shrillness and she was near collapse.)

At the Wilbur, Schaal was sans Braunohler but had a great act to do solo. She paid tribute to Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon with a toast, drinking Pepsi, Slim Fast and mayonnaise in their honor. With Mirman’s help, she acted out a pilot she said she’d recently written called “My Wife, the Vacuum.” Then, there was a bit where she slow-danced with a man in a tuxedo wearing a horse’s head. It was confusing.

Mirman (who grew up outside of Boston) followed Schaal by showing a few videos that you’d have to live in New England to find funny, and, as the whole crowd was from New England, this was a good decision. A lot of what I enjoy in Mirman’s act, whenever I’ve seen him, is the way he turns the notion of “found” comedy completely on its head, manufacturing letters of complaint to airlines or (in the case of Saturday’s show) local police departments, and loading them with so many ridiculous non-sequiturs that the whole thing seems to revel in and mock its own silliness all at once.

When Schaal reemerged at the end of Mirman’s set, she shared what might have been the strangest moment of the night. Apparently, during the course of the show, the performers learned that the feed from their wireless mics was somehow being transmitted over the PA system of the show in the theater next door, a production of The Color Purple. It might have ruined the play, but it’s hard to think of The Color Purple ever being that funny again.

Check out a video of Mirman and Schaal backstage after the show.

In preparation for their June 27 show at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal, chatted with you, Internet travelers about incredibly personal things and reveal many secrets. Check it out. And if you’re in the Boston area, get thee to this stellar show.