Billy Gardell Performs, Robert Klein Watches His Son on Stage and More News From NYC Clubs Plus Sherri Shepherd Tells Us How Jenny McCarthy Reacted to Getting Let Go From the View

gurian montreal edition

Jeffrey Gurian is a writer and comedian in New York who loves to Jump Around. Follow his regular column, right here, to find out what’s happening in comedy, and who Jeffrey Gurian ran into this week in and around New York. This week, Jeffrey stopped at  Comedy Live, New York Comedy Club, the Grisly Pear and more!


Robert Klein and Son at Gotham

As I pulled up to The Stand I was pleasantly surprised to find a parking spot right in front, and even more surprised to see Robert Klein sitting at the little table in front of the club. He was just as surprised to see me, and as I got out of my car he said, “Gurian, what are you doing here?” And when I told him I was going up to perform, he introduced me to his son Allie Klein, who was also on the show. Robert said he didn’t think he he’d ever seen me perform, so it was exciting for me to have him in the audience, and then his son went up for only his second time on stage.

Performing must be hereditary because Allie had great stage presence and owned the stage as if he had been performing for years. Not only funny but a really nice guy, just like his dad. The Weinstein Company did a documentary on Robert named after his famous bit, “I Can’t Stop My Leg” which he first performed on the first season of SNL back in the day, and it’s as funny now as it was then, they plan to have the premiere at Sundance this year.

Comedy Cellar Reunion Show Planned for Late September

I saw William Stephenson hanging out on the steps of The Cellar when I was on my way to the Village Underground, and we had a few moments to chat. He told me about the documentary that he’s in about Rick Crom, who’s been teaching comedy at The Cellar for years. He thinks the working title is Oh Rick, and he told me he’s also going to be in the Comedy Cellar reunion show which should be incredible along with a lot of the regulars like Jim Norton, Robert Kelly, Keith Robinson, Ray Romano and Bill Grundfest, the guy who actually founded The Comedy Cellar in 1982, and who Jon Stewart among others, credits with grooming him in his early career. The reunion show will be on September 28th and 29th, and it sounds like an event not to be missed. I certainly hope to be there! William’s been performing at The Cellar for about 20 years and said he may even have been auditioned by Bill Grundfest himself! Pretty cool! William happens to be one of the best hosts in the biz.

Don’t Mess with Ardie Fuqua’s Ride

Ardie Fuqua was back and a really funny thing happened. Ardie had his new ride parked right in front of The Cellar and it’s a beautiful shiny red Escalade. Some guy was casually leaning on it, when Ardie approached the guy with a VERY stern look. The guy could tell that Ardie was pissed, and started apologizing, but Ardie wasn’t having it. He didn’t say a word just kept making a motion with his hands as if the guy had to pay him money for his transgression. The guy was geting pale as he thought something was going to go down. I did too, until Ardie finally burst out laughing. He was just fucking with the guy the whole time, but it looked very real. They wound up taking pictures together. It was a funny scene. Watching it all unfold from a table outside was Dante Nero sitting with Robert Kelly. I told them I was on my way to see Cipha Sounds who was taping five shows for Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service, for a special called “No Small Talk.”

Later in the week I dropped by “the table” at The Cellar and it was packed. It was Noam Dworman the owner, with Sean Donnelly, Harrison Greenbaum, Rachel Feinstein, Keith Robinson, Marina Franklin, Keith AlberstadtRyan Hamilton, Liza Treyger, and Dan Soder and the big serious debate was tits or ass, which were you more attracted to! There were good points made by all sides! And just as I went down to the showroom, I heard that Amy Schumer came in because they saved a bunch of seats for her guests. I didn’t get to see her cause I had to run to yet another show.

Cipha Sounds Tapes Shows for Jay-Z’s Tidal Streaming Service

Cipha Sounds was the first comedian signed by Jay Z, and it looks like a perfect mix cause Cipha is not only a really funny comic, but he’s also a talented DJ. Dante decided to come with me, so he, Robert and I walked over there together. Robert had to split and Dante and I walked into the club, and we ran into Zainab Johnson who was also coming in at the same time to see the show. As soon as I walk through the door, I hear someone yelling “Gurian” and it’s Aaron Berg with Louis Katz and the next thing I know we’re on camera being interviewed as part of the festivities. I wasn’t sure what it was for but I had to sign a release, so I knew it must be for something cool! I later found out Aaron was in the middle of trying to set a record for the most comedy shows performed in one night.  Aaron was getting ready to do the next show, and he was amazing. I went downstairs in time to see my boy Kareem Green absolutely CRUSHING the room, with one killer line after the next. When Kareem got off the stage we went to the green room to catch up. Kareem is working on an album, and he’s been working really hard for a while now, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s putting out.  I wound up staying for three tapings and saw Rip Michaels destroy the room.

Dante Nero Pulled a Quad Doing His Own Stunts on NBC’s Blacklist

I had noticed that Dante was limping but I didn’t ask him about it because he’s so massive, I just thought that maybe one of his hips gave out, but he told me he hurt himself shooting a scene for NBC’s Blacklist where he had to jump through a window. The dude is so big they couldn’t get a stunt double for him so he did it himself, got stuck in the window, and pulled a quad muscle. Now he’s in physical therapy, but the limp kind of goes with his macho persona.  In between acts and shows they had a DJ spinning, Cipha’s boy DJ Drewski who was spinning crazy beats,  like the best hip-hop and it was a very festive scene. I kept running back and forth from the table back upstairs to the green room to hang with Dante, Keith Robinson, Nick Alexander, Phill Hunt, and Mark Viera who had just gotten back from performing in Haiti.  Cipha came up and everyone was taking photos with everyone else. It was really like a party.

Nore Davis told me he just got back from LA working on an untitled project for MTV for which he’s writing and acting. He was out there for a month staying at his manager’s house in Central L.A. and was working in Santa Monica. Leonard Ouzts is a fast rising young star. I had last seen him in Montreal when he introduced me to his parents who were so proud to see him performing at the largest comedy festival in the world. He’s currently working on developing both a TV show and a docu-series, but couldn’t divulge any more details yet. He did explain to me about his last name which is very unusual. He said it was German, and when I asked him who in his family was German he said “the slave owners” and he wasn’t kidding!

Sherri Shepherd, and Virgil from the WWE Judge Rap Battle, Sherri Talks About Getting Let Go From the View

I ended my week at Rell Battle’s Roast Battle at New York Comedy Club. Emilio greeted me as I came in and whispered to me that my friend Sherri Shepherd was there. I was so excited to see her, and she looked fantastic, as you’ll see in the photos. I went into the green room/office where all the comics hang out and it was Ricky Velez, Rell Battle, Tone Bell who greeted me by saying, “ Gurian, you’re everywhere!”, Virgil from WWE who was also a judge, and Sherri.  Sherri told me she’s in Ride Along 2 with Kevin Hart coming out January 2016 and plays Cory the wedding planner, and she’s also in a football movie with Jon Voight who plays “Bear” Bryant coming out next month called Woodlawn, in which she plays Mama Nathan the mother of Tony Nathan from the Miami Dolphins. Sherri was a judge but also came out and did a very cool set before the Roast Battle. She told me she hadn’t performed in a while but you couldn’t tell cause she was really funny and very relaxed. She took on a heckler and really put him in his place. Some jerk kept yelling out during the whole first part of the show, and when she asked him if he was Black he said he was “Black as shit.” Turns out he was Indian and she told him he made her believe in abortions. They finally had to escort him out because he was so obnoxious and wouldn’t shut up. Sherri said when she and Jenny McCarthy got let go from The View, Jenny cried and she just went and stole everything she could take! She’s also got a new show on The Cooking Channel that she hosts called Holy and Hungry every Sunday night at 10 P.M.  Tone Bell told me he’s got a Half Hour Comedy Special coming up in November, and casually mentioned his co-starring role on the new show Truth Be Told airing Friday nights on NBC starting October 16th, only one month away! The trailer looks hot!

In the Roast Battle’s battle of brown comics, Alingon Mitra was victorious over Gibran Saleem, Alingon being Indian and Gibran being Pakistani, and Alingon linked Gibran to 9/11. And James Mattern was victorious over Geno Bisconte. Then Aaron Berg came in to close out the show for his record setting 23rd set of the evening. When the show ended we went out on the street and I was filmed yet again for the documentary they’re doing on him where he does 25 sets in one evening. Sounds impossible but he was off to do two more clubs to finish off his goal!

Billy Gardell Headlines Gotham Comedy Live

Billy Gardell was in from LA to host Gotham Comedy Live this week, and the place was packed. I was sitting in the downstairs lounge which serves as the green room, with owner Chris Mazzilli when Billy came in.  When Billy came in, he came over and he and Chris embraced each other, and you could see it was genuine. After the show we sat and talked and when I asked him what he had coming up he said the most important thing to him was Monopoly Millionaire’s Club, a game show he hosts on WPIX every Saturday.  It’s based on the board game Monopoly and it’s shot in Vegas outside of Bally’s. He said last year they gave away five million dollars, and season 2 is on the way. Billy said he wanted the biggest game show on TV, “like Jackie Gleason big” and he got it. They built him a 50,000 square foot LED stage, and it’s a partnership between Hasbro and Scientific Games. It was cool to see Billy so excited about it. What a great guy! I hope to see him when I’m out in LA.

Jim Gaffigan Catered His Famous “Birthday Party Scene” With New York’s Own Shake Shack

I was leaving Mike Merkovich’s show at The Grisly Pear to go and check out Cipha Sounds double taping at The Village Underground, but ran into Angry Bob outside of Greenwich Village Comedy Club a few doors down from The Pear. He told me he was very grateful to Jim Gaffigan for putting him in the birthday party scene for Adam Goldberg’s character on Jim’s new show. The episode was called “Go Shorty, It’s Your Birthday” and Angry Bob was in it along with Dave Attell, Colin Quinn, Artie Lange, Tom Papa, Eddie Pepitone, Rich Vos, and Bonnie Macfarlane. It was shot at the Bowery Ballroom and of course in line with Jim Gaffigan’s taste, it was catered by Shake Shack. Bob said that Jim is a very generous guy, who tries to help his friends and they had a great time shooting the scene.

Miguel Dalmau is Moving to Indy

Miguel Dalmau came out to the taping of Gotham Comedy Live with his pregnant wife and after his killer set we hung out at the after party where he told me such an interesting story. He’s moving to Indianapolis to try as he put it, “to become a big fish in a small pond.” He said while he’s been on the road all his friends have been on TV already. He’s been working with Steve Hofstetter to book a year of gigs in all different size and types of venues from clubs to theatres to colleges and bar shows. He’s giving up his day job as an LPN at a hospital and becoming a full time comic. He said that Billy Gardell gave him great advice and told him to stop knocking on doors that won’t open for you and walk through the ones that are open. I wish him lots of luck cause his baby son Luka is due on December 21st and baby formula and diapers add up!

At the table right next to me was comic Talia Reese sitting with comedy producer Ron Herron who’s doing a lot of shows in New York and Long Island, and who has a big one coming up this coming Wednesday at the beautiful Space at Westbury. The Space was recently refurbished at great cost and I know this because I had the honor of producing the first big event there after the renovation. They were actually still working on it until the day of my event which was a gala in honor of Susie Essman for the Gold Coast International Film festival, and four hundred people showed up in black tie, and it was spectacular. The place itself is very elegant. Can’t wait to go back and see it on Wednesday, as I got invited to do a guest spot on the show.

New York Show Benefits Homeless

Ashley Morris is a comic with a heart. She produced a comedy show for the formerly homeless residents of Kenmore House on East 23rd Street and a more grateful audience would be hard to find. As Ron Bennington said, I never really get to see a whole show and came in just in time to see Harrison Greenbaum finish up, and run off to host at The Cellar where I saw him later in the evening.  Also on the show donating their time to these wonderful people was Dan Perlman, Cassidy Kirch and Bill Dawes. Ashley was a very funny and gracious host, and I got to close the show.

And what a week it was in comedy! I’m tired just telling you about it, … so until next week, … I’m OUT!!! See you at the clubs!!!


Jeffrey Gurian is a comedian, writer and all around bon vivant in New York City. Below, photos.  Below, Jeffrey Gurian with Billy Gardel, Sherri Shepherd, Dante Nero and Robert Kelly, Robert Klein, Jeffrey with Ricky Velez, Tone Bell, Sherri Shepherd, Rell Battle and Virgil from the WWE, and finally Jeffrey with Aaron Berg

jeffrey billy gardel

jeffrey gurian sherri shepherd

jeffrey gurian dante nero robert kelly

jeffrey and robert klein

RICKY VELEZ, JEFFREY, TONE BELL, SHERRI SHEPHERD, RELL BATTLE, VIRGIL

jeffrey gurian aaron berg

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Jeffrey Gurian is a comedy writer, comedian, author, producer, comedy connoisseur, comedy journalist, and an all around bon vivant. You can find him on red carpets, at comedy events across the country and hosting Comedy Matters TV. He’s the author of the book Make ‘Em Laugh with an intro by Chris Rock”. You've seen him on Comedy Central's Kroll Show and he's a regular on SiriusXM's Bennington Show and it's predecessor the Ron and Fez Show. He's also A BIG BELIEVER in Happiness and Love.
Jeffrey Gurian
Jeffrey Gurian
Jeffrey Gurian is a comedy writer, comedian, author, producer, comedy connoisseur, comedy journalist, and an all around bon vivant. You can find him on red carpets, at comedy events across the country and hosting Comedy Matters TV. He’s the author of the book Make ‘Em Laugh with an intro by Chris Rock”. You've seen him on Comedy Central's Kroll Show and he's a regular on SiriusXM's Bennington Show and it's predecessor the Ron and Fez Show. He's also A BIG BELIEVER in Happiness and Love.