December 31, 2014

The Very Best of 2014 on The IBang

It's been a tremendous year of change for all of us. At the end of our first year devoted full time to comedy, we wanted to thank everyone who has helped the site grow. The contributors, the developers, the writers, readers and commenters, and everyone who helps us out by retweeting, posting on other sites and boards, we can't thank you enough. We have big plans for 2015 to continue and grow and hope you'll all stick around.
December 29, 2014

The Ten Best Comedy Movies of 2014 (Vote!)

Our picks for the ten greatest comedy movies of 2014 are all over the map. There is a blockbuster, and bunch of indie films among our picks, and we chose several films that you might argue aren't actually comedies. But we stand by the notion that often the best comedies are films that are dark, or mixed genre, so we didn't get details like that get in our way of picking some great films that skirted the edges of being pure comedies. Let us know what your favorite comedy of the year was this year by voting or leaving us a comment.
December 29, 2014

Nine Great Artists Share Their Memories of Nine Incredible Comedic Talents

2014 was a year where comedy news dominated the headlines regularly, and that was in no small part because we lost so many comedy legends this year. The empty spaces at the comedy dias this year are large and unfillable. Literal legends, people who created modern comedy who we were lucky enough to have in our midst just a year ago like Joan Rivers, Sid Ceaser, David Brenner, Mike Nichols and Robin Williams, are no longer here. We also lost younger brilliant comics who should have had decades ahead of them, like John Pinette, Otto Petersen, and Tim Wilson. All eight of these tremendous talents have left behind great work for this generation and future generations to enjoy for years to come.
December 29, 2014

Jeffrey Gurian’s Favorite Comedy Things! A 2014 Year in Review

Any time you try to make a list of the "top" anything, it's always a little bit subjective, due to the point of view of the writer. With the understanding that it's not an exact science, and really just an opinion, I will give you my top 15 comedy events list of 2014, of all the events that I covered during the year. Some of the events I was involved with in some way, but most of them not! I tried to be as impartial as I could.
December 28, 2014

The Best Stand Up Comedy Tours of 2014! (vote)

The heart of stand up is of course working the clubs, and the culmination of working all those club dates is the comedy tour. We picked six tours that everyone was talking about this year. These five single acts were the hot tickets this year, and of course we couldn't talk about great tours without bringing up Funny or Die's Oddball comedy tour, which brought together the biggest names in comedy on stages across the country. We picked six standout tours but you will pick which was the biggest, the best and funniest tour of the year. Vote below!
December 27, 2014

The Very Best Comedy Series on Television in 2014

The great comedy in 2014 wasn't just limited to stand up. There was also outstanding comedy on television. Comedy Central really upped their game this year, with five of our top ten programs coming from the all-comedy network. All five of those shows -- Dave Attell's Comedy Underground Live, South Park, Review, Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele -- brought completely different elements of comedy to the channel. Brooklyn Nine Nine, Last Week Tonight, Comedy Bang Bang, Silicon Valley, and The Pete Holmes Show all created must see television too. And we've left off many great comics-- more proof of the strength of comedy in 2014.
December 26, 2014

The Biggest News Cycle Stories That Kept Comedy Busy in 2014

2014 was a banner year for stories that dominated news cycles. Tragedy, sex, sports, and scandal - humor was found in all of them. Whenever there was a story that turned CNN into a one topic churn, comedians were writing jokes about those same topics, whether it was for their stand up, for late night monologues, or even just for their twitter feeds. Here are the biggest news stories from 2014 that the comedy world couldn't get enough of.
December 25, 2014

The Comedians Call It: 22 Great Comics Tell Us Who Will Be the Next Big Thing

For a week we've been talking about who was great, who excelled and who out performed everyone in 2014. But 2014 is sooooooo 2014. What really matters is who is going to kill it, crush it, wrap it up and take it home in a nylon sack in 2015. We wanted to know who is going to be the big ticket next year and so we went to the people who know best- their closest friends and competitors, other stand up comics.
December 22, 2014

The Best Comedy Albums of 2014

As our celebration of the best comedy in 2014 continues, we are looking at the best comedy albums released this year. There were many strong contenders this year, and we picked ten favorites. Albums by Sarah Silverman, Big Jay Oakerson, Chris Gethard, Mark Normand, Cameron Esposito, Tommy Johnagin, Joe Mande, Nick Thune, Mike Vecchione, and Weird Al Yankovic topped our list for the funniest albums of 2014. We picked our top ten but we need you to vote for who had the #1 comedy special in 2014.
December 22, 2014

Vote for the Best Stand Up Comedy Special of The Year in 2014

We're continuing our celebration of all things comedy with a look at the best comedy specials released this year. It was an incredibly strong year for comedy specials, with many specials taking untraditional routes, without being gimmicky. Our picks for the freshest, most creative and funniest comedy specials this year include strong writing, different tone, and incredibly strong material.
December 21, 2014

The Top Ten Comedy Books of 2014

It was 2014. The Greatest Year in Comedy since the Beginning of Comedy had great stand up, great movies, great shows, and it also had great books. These ten comedians wrote ten books while they were killing it in their respective comedy arenas. And now we need you to vote, on who had the #1 book. Jim Gaffigan, Amy Poehler, Joan Rivers, Andrew Dice Clay, Russell Brand, Carol Leifer, Todd Glass, Megan Amram, John Cleese, or Marin Short.
December 20, 2014

The Official Unofficial Timeline of Comedy in 2014

It was a big year for comedy in 2014 with gigantic shifts in the Late Night arena, tremendous heartbreaking losses of great comedic voices, and many ups and downs for those who make us all laugh. We put together this timeline to highlight the momentous ups and downs the comedy world shared this year.
December 19, 2014

The Clubs Speak! The Best Stand Up Comedy Moments of 2014! (As Decided by the Club Owners, Bookers and People Who Produce Comedy)

Over the next two weeks, you'll see all of our picks for the greatest comedy releases and greatest moments in comedy of 2014. But if you want to know what really happened in comedy in 2014, you have to go to the source- the comedy clubs. We went straight to the bookers, club owners, managers and producers who put together some of the best shows in the country, and asked them their favorite moments in comedy this year. The answers they gave us, represent some of the brightest and best talents in the country.
December 19, 2014

Who Is the 2014 Stand Up Comedian of the Year!?

You may have heard that 2014 was the greatest year in comedy, in the history of all years in comedy. And it's true, 2014 was a giant year for comedy. Giant tours, huge specials, incredible albums, and more than a few great books. But who had the biggest year of 2014?