The Joke Gym Blog

New year, new website

2011-12-30T20:26:00.001-08:00

Hey!
This blog has moved
to The Joke Gym website!

Please visit the
updated site
at TheJokeGym.com.

No wind, just cold!

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

MC Scott Shimamoto warmed up a chilly room on Thursday night and welcomed these comics to the Joke Gym stage:

Dave Sievers aka The Love Machine
Louis Orosco
Rose Hienz*
Paula Johnson
Justin Tan*
Steve Bruner
Michael Porco
David Relyea
Benett
Rob Collister
Rudy Boehmer
Steven Craig
Yashar Kafi
*First time at The Joke Gym

Next show: Thursday, January 5, 2012.

Blown away!

2011-12-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

We didn't have an open mic on Thursday, Dec. 1. The winds blew the power out at Zapata Vive.

Next show: December 15!

Our turkey-free pre-Thanksgiving show

2011-11-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the Joke Gym stage on November 17:

Jim Teater
Rudy Boehmer
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Steven Craig
Yashar Kafi
Ralph Eddy
Michael Porco
Paula Johnson
Ben
Linda G.
Howard Wescott
Marlene Cooper*
Victor Vega
Johnny Roque
Nat Baimel
Justin Latham
*First time at The Joke Gym

The "guys in hats" edition

2011-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson silently noted a preponderance of hats at last night's open mic. Still, the show went on with these comics telling jokes both old and new.

Nat Baimel
J-Stir*
Courtney Ca
Yashar Kafi
Shayne Michael
Roldan Agitan
Rosé
Scott Shimamoto
David Relyea
Ben
Michael Porco
Eric Edwards
Chris Gerred
Linda G
Ljiljana Grozdanic
Jim Teater*
Justin Latham
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Tyrone Fance
Andy Adams
*First time at The Joke Gym

Send us your YouTube links

2011-10-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

If you've performed on the humble Joke Gym stage, we'd like to present your You Tube videos (taken anywhere) on The Joke Gym blog.

Submit the link to openmic@thejokegym.com and we'll fetch the necessary code to embed the video on the blog.

Dennis Vargas, Guest MC!

2011-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Paula Johnson skipped tonight's show because of a cold, so she missed Guest MC Dennis Vargas and these comedians:

Richie Cantor
Chris Gerrad
Jen Johnson
Linda G
Yashar Kafi
Todd Basil
Joe Braza
Scott Shimamoto
Steve Craig
Joe Luu
Eric Edwards
Katharine Rudnyk
Ray Chavez Jr.
Mike Porco
Mike Najera
Xavier Ray
Justin Latham

Next show: November 3.

October? How did THAT happen?

2011-10-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson had a few things to say about these comics:

Richie Cantor
Erik Barnes
Nat Baimel
Eric Edwards
Scott Shimamoto
Chris Gerred
Rob Collister
Yashar Kafi
Steven Craig
Rudy Boehmer
Michael Porco
Katherine Rudnyk*
Richard Weiss
John Fontaine
Steven Briggs*
Joe Luu
Marie Marquez
Amy Ashton

*First time at The Joke Gym

It's fall, y'all!

2011-09-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's fall! That's joke-telling weather! MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the Joke Gym stage:
Mike Najera
Joe Luu
Tyrone Fance
Todd Basil
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Carlos Escobar
Michael Porco
Ben
Nick Klaus*
Steven Craig
Eileen Kallo
Yashar Kafi
Sean Williams
Ralph Eddy
Justin Asalama Latham
*First time at The Joke Gym

The back-to-school show

2011-09-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

Scott Shimamoto and Paula Johnson shared MC duties at the Sept. 1 show in honor of a visit by Natalie Ragus, the editor of Arcadia Patch. She even joined these comedians on the Joke Gym stage:

John Fontaine

Ray Chavez, Jr.

Nat Baimel

Ben

Shayne Michael

Caleb Porter

David Relyea

Rudy Boehmer

Greg Stone

Natalie Ragus*

George Frangides*

Jen Johnson

Yashar Kafi

Mike Porco

Scott Shimamoto

Jonathan Rowell*

Jesse King*

Trip Jones*

Mike Najera

Paul Noller*

Steven Craig

*First time at The Joke Gym

Look for an article on Arcadia Patch later this month!

Fender bender…

2011-08-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

MC Scott Shimamoto brought the funny, but more important, he brought the good sound system! These comics rocked the Fender tonight:

Lynne Bateson
Bill Kay
Tyrone Fance
Matthew Dillier
Jen Johnson*
Steve Scholtz*
Michael Porco
Chris Kostolefsky*
Rudy Boehmer
Steven Craig
Steve Bruner
Yashar Kafi
Liz Rodgers*
Ralph Eddy
Eillen Kallo
Ron Ario*
Justin Asalama*
*First time at The Joke Gym

What the heck happened to Ralph Eddy?

2011-08-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson drew the names and Ralph Eddy's name was drawn first. But he disappeared! What the huh?

Anyway, these comics each got a six-minute workout:

Liz Wheht*
Steve Henry
Ben
Erik Barnes
Jake Kroeger
Michael Porco
Scott Shimamoto
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Jesse King*
Ed Shannon
Nat Baimel
Mike Najera*
Tom Murphy*
Amy Ashton
Marie Marquez
Tyrone Fance
Dennie Vargas
*First time at The Joke Gym

The mic stand from h*ll…

2011-07-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Paula Johnson missed the show on July 21—she was off learning how to produce e-books. Meanwhile, MC Scott Shimamoto had a freaky microphone stand problem, but managed to get these comics onstage:

Ted Huang*
Rudy Boehmer
Steven Craig*
Eileen Kallo
Greg Stone
Ralph Eddy
Chris Grimmett
Ray Chavez Jr.
Yashar Kafi
Nat Baimel
Mike Porco
Erik Barnes
Sarah Johnson
*First time at The Joke Gym

Too hot to laugh (but we did anyway)

2011-07-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

Fun show tonight! MC Paula Johnson rolled out the welcome mat for:

Chris Grimmett (the second time he was drawn first!)
Todd Basil
Carlos Escobar
Alfonso Guerrero
Shayne Michael
Ben
Scott Shimamoto
Don Neill
David Relyea
Michael Porco
DB
Wyatt Cote
Yashar Kafi
Al Henry
Danny Ledsinger

Next show: July 21!

It's curtains for the Joke Gym! (Yeah, actual stage curtains. Red.)

2011-06-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

For our pre-Father's Day show, MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the humble Joke Gym stage:

Chris Grimmett

Richie Cantor

Will Etherington

Greg Stone

Mark Ofuji

Steve Bruner

Ralph Eddy

Rudy Boehmer

Paula Johnson

Klift Karaffa

Xavier Ray

Danny Ledsinger

Brian Rich

Vince Takas

Carlos Escobar

Tyrone Fance

Marie Marquez

Loudest Joke Gym ever!

2011-06-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

You never know what will happen at The Joke Gym. Tonight one comic brought an entourage that nearly outnumbered the comics. Works for us!

MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to our humble stage:

John Defunct

Todd Basil

Raúl Fernandez

Justin Brusca*

Diane Kawasaki

Yoshio Moriwaki

David Relyea

Scott Shimamoto

Eric John*

Greg Stone

Michael Porco

Yashar Kafi

Danielle Sadd*

Marie Marquez

Lewis Orosco

Amy Ashton

*First time at The Joke Gym

Scott missed all the fun, nyah, nyah, nyah!

2011-05-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

After a few light shows and no open mic on May 5, The Joke Gym returned to form tonight. Scott Shimamoto had a gig, so MC Paula Johnson and clock-watcher Mary Diane kept the show moving for these two dozen comics:

Ken Edelberg*
Russell Apolonio*
Mary Diane
Jenny Davis*
Roldan Agitan*
Steve Bruner/Tyrone Fance/Stan Sellers
(aka The Father 'Hood)
Yashar Kafi
Greg Stone
John Defunct*
Eric Edwards
Rudy Boehmer
Jeni Bartiromo
Mike Porco
Caleb Porter
Dennis Vargas
Chris Geird* (need correct spelling!)
Danny Ledsinger
Matt Jordan
Dave Sievers
Cliff Davis
Marie Marquez
Todd Basil
* 1st time at The Joke Gym

See you on June 2!

Three new faces at tonight's show

2011-04-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

After doing our first booked show on St. Patrick's Day, The Joke Gym was back to letting comics work out new material. MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the stage:

Ben
Erik Barnes
Shayne Michael
Joe Luu
Javier Hernandez
Dan Morrissey*
Carlos Escobar
Michael Porco*
Matt Jordan
Caleb Porter
Rudy Boehmer
Yashar Kafi
Zack Beseda*
Nat Baimel
Xavier Ray
Marie Marquez
Aiko Tanaka
*First time at The Joke Gym

The community came out to help our friends in Japan!!!

2011-03-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to announce that the Japan Disaster Comedy show was a huge success!

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, we packed the back room of the Zapata Vive Restaurant in Arcadia, California.

We raised over $1,500 for the people who need our help in Japan. The funds will be distributed to the Japan Business Association and Red Cross for use in helping Japan recover from the earthquake and tsunami.

We even received some press from "Arcadia's Best". Thanks for supporting us "AB"!!!

Here's a link to the Arcadia's Best article!

Thanks everybody who supported our show, or who have donated to any of the agencies that are trying to help!

St. Patrick's Day concert + comedy at Zapata Vive

2011-03-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, March 17, 2011, The Joke Gym will present its first booked show. The rockin' blues band Lookin' for Trouble will start at 6:30 and the comedy starts at 7:30. (No open mic on St. Paddy's Day!)

Zapata Vive

101 S First Ave

Arcadia, CA, 91006

Oh, those grad show kids!

2011-03-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

You know it's grad show season because Standup Academy students make the trek to Arcadia. MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Joe Luu
Robert Weems
Jim Beach*
Matthew Dillier
Jamillah*
Todd Basil
Dennis Vargas
David Relyea
Javier Hernandez
Scott Shimamoto
Yashar Kafi
Laura Vasic*
Cliff Davis*
Rudy Boehmer
Ben
* First time at The Joke Gym

Remember, no open mic on March 17. But come for the booked show!

Happy third anniversary to us!

2011-02-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

After three years and more than 300 comedians, The Joke Gym is going strong. Thanks to everyone who has made the trek to Arcadia.

At tonight's show, MC Paula Johnson welcomed some regulars, a few irregulars and two new faces:

Dan Stanfield
Ina Romeo*
Matthew Dillier
Don Neill
Tyrone Fance
Steve Bruner
Dave Sievers
Javier Hernandez*
Yashar Kafi
Dennis Vargas
Marie Marquez
Ben
Gene Steichen
*First time at The Joke Gym

Brainiacs R Us

2011-02-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

MC Scott Shimamoto introduced a great line-up at the Feb. 3 show, including three brainiacs from JPL:

Erik Barnes*

Joe Luu

Matt Dillier

Steve Bruner

Greg Stone*

Don Neill

Rudy Boehmer

Yashar Kafi

Linda G.

Nat Baimel

Fred Bauman

Gene Steichen

Marie Marquez

Sam Orona

Jan Berkeley*

Ivan Cevallos
*First time at The Joke Gym

Our next show is on Feb. 17 and is our third anniversary. Paula Johnson will MC.

Our first comic from Mongolia!

2011-01-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Joe Luu

Dave Sievers*

Paula Johnson

Linda G.

Andrew Adams*

Ben

Yashar Kafi

Beck*

Gene Steichen

Howard Westcott

Sherms

Matt Dillier*

Richard Chang

*First time at The Joke Gym

A special welcome to Beck who moved to the U.S. from Mongolia.

Starting the new year right!

2011-01-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

Not only did with have a full line-up tonight, but MC Paula Johnson was having a good hair day! Just ask any of these comics:

Daniel Stanfield
Ben
Rob Collister
Carlos Escobar
Don Neill
David Relyea
Rudy Boehmer
Sean Williams
Ivan Cevallos
Paula Johnson
Scott Shimamoto
Gene Steichen
Eileen Kallo
Tyrone Fance
Victor Lecha
Ralph Eddy
Steve Bruner
Sherms
Corinne Ketchum
Louis Orosco
Richard Chang

All I want for Christmas is 10 minutes of stage time!

2010-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

The freeways can be a nightmare this time of year, so MC Paula Johnson rewarded the intrepid comedians who braved the holiday traffic to make the last show of 2010. Everyone got 10 minutes!

Dennis Vargas

Shayne Michael

Linda G*

Victor Lecha

Don Neill

Klift Karaffa

Gene Steichen

Scott Shimamoto

*First time at The Joke Gym

See you in January!

Check out Bobbie Oliver…

2010-12-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Check out Mark Ofuji…

2010-12-08T23:11:00.001-08:00

Check out Dennis Vargas…

2010-12-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight we all went Scott-free! Ha!

2010-12-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

Scott Shimamoto missed the open mic tonight because he was performing at Rudy Boehmer's show at The Ice House Annex. No worries. Sean Williams stepped up to collect the intro cards and run the light for MC Paula Johnson.

Here's tonight's line-up with bonus commentary on each comedian:

Tyrone Fance fought yoga and yoga won.
Eileen Kallo went house-hunting, but the houses kept moving.
Jeni Bartiromo's grandma Boggled her mind.
Victor Lecha needs to explain the "Bubbles" thing.
Don Neill* went to school with Madonna
Sean Williams does not want to see your wet burrito on Facebook.
Yashar Kafi does not like a-holes.
Joe Luu is the go-to guy for Dance Dance Revolution.
Rob Collister ended his six-month-long tiff with comedy tonight.
Alfredo Roman Flores is getting nothing for Christmas.
Tony Riccio* looks like a younger, happier Jason Statham.
Louis Orosco is cruising for a bruising from Diane Kawasaki.
Aiko Tanaka is funny on stage and funny on Twitter.

*First time at The Joke Gym

Our last show of the year is Thursday, Dec. 16. Don't forget to "like" our Facebook Page.

Don't fear the 3x5

2010-12-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

This is the Smothers Brothers reading Jerry Seinfeld's intro for his HBO appearance in 1981.

A well-written intro is a wonderful thing. It makes the MC's job easier and let's the audience know someone special is coming onstage. It's an important part of your marketing program (and subsequent plan for worldwide domination).

Looking forward to hearing your intro at the next Joke Gym open mic.

Check out Lucy Craig…

2010-11-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

No turkeys at the pre-Thanksgiving show!

2010-11-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

Paula Johnson, The Joke Gym's resident Girl Geek, attended a software user group meeting on November 18, so she missed the show. (That's going to go on her permanent record!)

MC Scott Shimamoto said it was a light night, so each of these comics got six minutes:

Mike Mendola
Kelly Dennis (1989 spelling bee champ)
Eileen Kallo
Ralph Eddy
Gene Steichen
Ben
Pedro T*
Scott Shimamoto
Yashar Kafi
Eric Somers*
Victor Lecha
Louis Orosco*
Barry Weisenberg*First time at The Joke Gym

Our last two shows of 2010 are December 2 and 16. See you there!

Check out John Fontaine…

2010-11-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

The obligatory FAQs

2010-11-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Q: I want to work out at The Joke Gym. But...how?
A: Point your eyeballs to our website and all will be revealed.

Q: Why do you make me write an introduction card?
A: Scott and Paula have really bad memories, and have no idea who the majority of you people are. We don't even recognize each other most of the time.

Humor us and jot down a pithy intro. (Note that we said "pithy," not "pissy.")

Q: Why do you want my web address?
To promote you, of course. This blog lists all the comics who have performed at The Joke Gym. If you click a comic's name, you get their MySpace page or website. (If we don't have an URL for you, we link to The Joke Gym website.)

Q: Do I have to keep my set clean?
A: Nope, just funny. The Joke Gym is promoted as a 21-and-over show, so anything you would say at The Comedy Store or The Laugh Factory is okay by us.

Q: I love The Joke Gym! How can I show my appreciation?
Order a burrito or tacos at Zapata Vive. Just because they give us the room for free, we shouldn't be freeloaders.

November? How did get to be November?

2010-11-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson proclaimed that it's finally "sweater weather" before welcoming these comics to our November 4 show.

Rosé
Alfredo Roman Flores
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Ralph Eddy
Sean Williams*
Mary Diane
Yashar Kafi
Victor Lecha*
Eileen Kallo*
Scott Shimamoto
Joe Luu
Jeni B.
Xavier Ray
Ivan Cevallos*
Ben
Angel Acosta
Todd Basil*
Scooby
Diane Kawasaki
Tyrone Fance
*First time at The Joke Gym

Next show: Thursday, November 18. Don't forget your sweater.

Scott Shimamoto at the Relay for Laffs

2010-11-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Here's Scott Shimamoto's set from the Relay for Laff show on April 24, 2010.

Check out Gene Steichen…

2010-11-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

We love an audience!

2010-11-01T20:28:00.001-07:00

Many thanks to Arcadia Association of Realtors for providing a great audience at the October 21 show. And thanks to the comics for keeping it clean-ish!

MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comedians to The Joke Gym stage:
Vance Sanders
Paula Johnson
Tyrone Fance
Joe Ianni*
Katsy Chappell
Yashar Kafi
Ben
Howard Westcott
Brandon Muller*
Dennis Vargas
Rudy Boehmer
Gene Steichen
Saad Ahmed
Joe Luu
Ray Chavez, Jr.
Diane Kawasaki
*First time at The Joke Gym

After the show, Joe Ianni, a comic visiting from Toronto, interviewed Scott and Paula for his ComediCast podcast. Our episode should be up soon.

"Faster and Funnier" is now on sale

2010-10-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hat's off to comedian Drew Volle for writing "Faster and Funnier," an e-book designed to help you be a great stand-up comedian. Not good. Not average. Great.

Like many of us, Drew has read books and taken classes in an effort to further his career. "Faster and Funnier" challenges many assumptions about writing, performing, and working in the stand-up world.

I met Drew when he performed at The Joke Gym, and was happy to read an advance copy of his book. Drew's take on the art and business of comedy is worth reading and taking to heart. I liked it so much, I wrote a testimonial for his website.

The author says his book's title came from something his mother said when he was a kid. "Whenever you weren't getting to the point quick enough, she's interrupt and say 'Hey, faster and funnier!'"

For details on Drew's book (and downloading some free chapters), visit his website.

Check out Diane Kawasaki…

2010-10-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Boys' night at The Joke Gym

2010-10-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

You know it's fall when comics trade in their flip-flops for sneakers, and actually zip up their hoodies. MC Paula Johnson thinks this all makes for a cozier kind of comedy, at least it did for tonight's all-guy line-up:

Joe Luu
Joe Kaplan
Norman Cook*
Carlos Escobar
Steve Bruner
Ben
Yashar Kafi
Howard Wescott
Tyrone Fance
Eric Edwards
Scott Shimamoto
Xavier Ray
Saad Ahmed
Ray Chavez, Jr.*
Gene Steichen
Fernando Rivera
Angel Acosta
Ryan Parks*
Mike Concepcion
Sadiq*

*First time at The Joke Gym

Special thanks to our audience, Teresa Bruner!

Check out Xavier Ray…

2010-09-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Joke Gym has some very talented regulars, like this "ginger:"

Check out Joe Luu…

2010-09-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Joe Luu visited The Joke Gym for the first time in September. Here's a clip from his YouTube channel.

Fewer comics means longer sets, tra-la!

2010-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Scott Shimamoto had a gig, so Paula Johnson MCed the 9/16 show with a short list of comics. Please note that 100% of the women in the room were named Paula. How great is that?

Gene Steichen
Dennis Vargas
Ben
Joe Luu*
Saad Ahmed
Sherms
Jeff Foster
Yashar Kafi
Scott Everett Berger
Paula Tejada
Xavier Ray
*First time at The Joke Gym

Our next show is Thursday, October 7.

A pre-Labor Day workout

2010-09-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

New faces, new material make for a fun show. MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to the humble Joke Gym stage:
Matt Jordan*
Mel Kohl
Daniel Blackburn, III
Dennis Vargas
Vince Takas
Saad Ahmed
Sherms
Ben
Scott Shimamoto
Caleb Porter*
Gene Steichen
Ari Katcher
Olivia*
Charles Dewandeler*
Charles Kellam, The Philly Cat
Temptation
*First time at The Joke Gym

Next show: September 16.

Hot night, full house!

2010-08-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

MC Scott Shimamoto really had to work tonight—we had so many comics we started early and finished late! These comics brought the jokes and the energy:

Will Novak*
Sylvia Bosco*
Eric Edwards
Shayne Michael
Javier Palenzuela
Daniel Blackburn, III*
Carlos Escobar*
Howard Wescott
Rudy Boehmer
Raul Fernandez*
Jeff Foster
Zak White*
Gene Steichen
Saad Ahmed
Yashar Kafi
Paula Johnson
Scott Shimamoto
Jeni B.
Xavier Ray
Chris Levkulich*
Ed Shannon*
Scott Everett Burger
Ben
Dennis Vargas

*First time at The Joke Gym

See you on September 2. It'll be the Thursday before Labor Day, so start the weekend early at The Joke Gym.

Red alert? No, Google Alerts!

2010-08-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can set up a Google Alert that will email you whenever your name appears in website or blog? Yup, and it's free.

Go to the Google Alerts page and enter your name in quotes. If you have a common name, you might want to add a word to help filter the results. A word like, oh, I don't know...comedy?

I have a Google Alert set up for The Joke Gym and it's great to see how the word has spread during the last two years.

Shameless plug for a side project

2010-08-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

In addition to co-producing The Joke Gym, Paula Johnson (that's me!) is the editor of a flash fiction blog called the Rose City Sisters. Nah, it's not as girly as it sounds.

The blog is holding a "story of the year"contest, and readers will determine the finalists. All you have to do is visit this page, and click the story titles that interest you. We're using Google Analytics to count the hits to each story. The top seven stories become finalists.

If you write fiction, take a look at the submission guidelines.

I have to be funny AND have a website?! (Yes.)

2010-08-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Paula Johnson here. (The non-Asian, female half of The Joke Gym production duo.)

If you're thinking about (or stressing over) creating a website, download the website worksheet I created for my clients. This two-page PDF on writing content and thinking about design will help you get started—whether you plan to do it yourself or hire someone to help you.

Wracked with confusion? Feel free to email with your questions about registering your domain, securing hosting, domain email, blogging, or web content and design. If I don't have the answers, I likely know someone who does.

Another injury-free workout for all!

2010-08-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson, fresh from last month's trip to a tiny town on the Oregon coast, was happy to be back at The Joke Gym. She welcomed this funny bunch folks to the stage:

Saad
Jaray Kalander
Xavier Ray
Mike Concepcion
Alfredo Roman Flores
Dave Nunez*
Scott Shimamoto
Rudy Boehmer
Jeff Foster
Scott Everett Burger*
Gene Steichen
Dennis Vargas
Mel Cole*
Paula Tejada
Fernando Rivera
Nick Petrillo
* First time at The Joke Gym

Our half-way through summer show

2010-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Comics got seven minutes at the July 15 show—there's a plus side to a lighter turnout!

Paula Johnson was out of town, so Scott Shimamoto manned the light and Guest MC Jeff Foster welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Dave Burland
Stephany Folsom*
Sam Alfi
Sherms
Scott Shimamoto
Xavier Ray
Ralph Eddy
Gene Steichen* (aka "the leaf" in the Fruit of the Loom TV spots)
Ben
Howard Wescott
Angel Acosta
*First time at The Joke Gym

Thanks for pitching in, Jeff. Our next open mic is Thursday, August 5 with MC Paula Johnson.

Starting July with a laugh

2010-07-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

We had a full list tonight! So glad that Laker brouhaha is over.

Guest MC (and Twitter addict) David Burland did a great job keeping tonight's show moving with these funny folks:

Xavier Ray
Nat Baimel
Andrea Loney*
Jaray Kalander
David Sivits*
Ben
J. Carlos*
Jimmy Duong*
Howard Wescott
Yashar Kafi
Saad
Paula Johnson
Mike Concepcion
Dennis Vargas
Ralph Eddy
Rosé
Shayne Michael
John Silver*
David Relyea*
Steve Henry
Fia Perera*

*First time at The Joke Gym

Next show is Thursday, July 15 with Guest MC Jeff Foster.

Another slam-dunk night

2010-06-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

MC Scott Shimamoto kept it moving tonight…so these comics could run into the bar after the show and watch the last five minutes of the Lakers/Celtics game:

Mary Diane
Dr. Michael the Russian*
Alan Weiss
David Burland
Jeff Foster
Shayne Michael*
Yashar Kafi
Todd Collins
Charles Kellam, The Philly Cat
Temptation
Rudy Boehmer
Saad
Kraig Smith*
* First time at The Joke Gym

See you on July 1 when David Burland is our Guest MC.

Yeah, but can any of the Lakers do stand-up?

2010-06-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the comics who skipped watching the Lakers in favor of improving their own game. MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Mary Diane
Klift Karaffa*
Saad
Rudy Boehmer
Ari Katcher
Yashar Kafi
Alfredo Roman Flores
Karmel Humphrey
Vince Takas
Jeff Foster
The Philly Cat
Nio Meneses
Kelly Dennis (The Joke Gym's 100th friend!)
Mary Becquet
Temptation*
Scott Shimamoto
* First time at The Joke Gym

Don't forget to find us on Facebook.

Benadryl was in the house…

2010-05-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

If a comedian gets a cold, does that make him conjested? Heh, heh, heh. Actually, MC Scott Shimamoto was stuffed up from allergies, but that did not stop him from welcoming these comics on May 20:

Xavier Ray
Ari Katcher
Robert Weems
Mary Diane*
Paula Johnson
Jeni Bartiromo
Paula Tejada
Jaray*
Eric Edwards
Jeff Foster
Tyrone Fance
Rob Collister
Saad*
Ben
Rudy Boehmer
Sam Orona
Dennis Vargas
Ravi Merritt*
*First time at The Joke Gym

Congrats to Jerry Dahlgren, Karmel Humphrey and Julia Flint for snagging guaranteed spots at our June 3 show via our new Facebook page.

Our 100th Facebook friend was Kelly Dennis, so she gets a spot at the show of her choice.

The shortest line-up ever!

2010-05-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Were all the comics in town hungover (or in jail) after Cinco de Mayo? Whatever the excuse, they didn't make to The Joke Gym on May 6. No worries, a shorter line-up means more time on stage. MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comedians to the stage for seven-minute sets:

Paul Blomeyer
Jake Richards*
Sherms
Scott Shimamoto
Josh Nixon*
Johnny Roque
Baum*
Ari Katcher
*First time at The Joke Gym

Next show: Thursday, May 20 with MC Scott Shimamoto. See ya!

You can't tax funny, right?

2010-04-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

MC Scott Shimamoto admits he claimed all of these comics as dependents on his 2009 tax return:

Bill Kay
Joel Mays
Yashar Kafi
Alfredo Roman Flores
Jeff Foster
Alan Weiss
Eric Edwards
Dennis Vargas
Xavier Ray
Ralph Eddy
Jeni B.
"The Mike"*
Corinne Ketchum
Paula Tejada
Lalo Quezada
*First time at The Joke Gym

Fools rush in…

2010-04-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson hosted the April Fool's Day show. Who was there? These comics:

Nat Baimel
Kito Robinson
Joel Mays
Herminio Meneses
Sherms
Xavier Ray
Scott Shimamoto
Alfred Roman Flores
Rob Collister
Daniel Alvarado*
David Burland
Ari Katcher
Paula Tejada
Steve Henry*
Sam Orona
Corinne Ketchum*
Aiko Tanaka
Karen Anzoategui
*First time at The Joke Gym

The post-St. Patrick's Day Hangover Show

2010-03-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

What's better than green beer and Irish whiskey? Quesadillas and comedy. On March 18, MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Wyatt Hewison
Jon Henry*
Ben
Benjamin Rojas
Dion LaMarr*
Kito Robinson
Paula Tejada
Lightfinger
Jeff Foster
Sherms
Dennis Vargas
David Burland
Joel Mays
Zoey Goetsch*
Marie Marquez
Yashar Kafi
*First time at The Joke Gym

Friday night at the Gym…

2010-03-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

Once in a while we hold an extra show. On Friday, March 12, nine comics hit the stage at a bonus Joke Gym to thank comics for supporting the March 11 show. A short list meant each comic got eight minutes:

Xavier Ray
Nick Petrillo*
John Fontaine
Corey Craig
Scott Shimamoto
Sam Alfi
Russell Grant*
Lori Ann*

See you on Thursday, March 18 for our regular show.

Taking down names on March 4…

2010-03-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

I was sorry to miss the March 4 show, but I heard jokes were told! MC Scott Shimamoto had a full house:

Gil Gambaldo*
Bill Kay
Sam Alfi
Jeni B
Benjamin Rojas
Richard Chang
Celeste Pawol*
Danny Adams*
Alfredo Roman Flores*
Herminio Meneses
Paula Tejada
Corey Craig
Fernado Rivera
Rosé
Jack Cunningham
Yashar Kafi
Jason Ong*
Joel
David Burland
Xavier Ray
Ben
Joe Kaplan
Rob Collister
Angel Acosta
Jim Bruce*
Scott Yarborough*
*1st time at The Joke Gym

Now starting our third funny year!

2010-02-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

The February 18 show was, technically, our second anniversary, but since Scott Shimamoto had a speaking engagement last night, we'll do the annviersay show on March 4.

Thanks to the always charming guest MC Yashar Kafi who welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Richard Chang
Herminio Meneses
Fred Bauman
Bill Kay
Reggie Jr.
Sanjay*
Paul Collum*
David Burland*
Ben
Jeni B.
Dennis Vargas
Wyatt Hewison
Joe Kaplan
Rob Collister
Sam Alfi
Michael Frattasio
Sam Orona
*First time at The Joke Gym

Extra time at The Joke Gym…

2010-02-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

You know what happens when the line-up is light? More time for everyone!

MC Paula Johnson and guest timer-meister Rudy Boehmer agreed to bump up the stage time to six minutes—but few comics took advantage of the extra time. What's up with that?

Still, these comics worked it out on February 4:

Paula Tejada
Dennis Vargas
Ari Katcher
Wyatt Hewison
Mark Seaton (who returns to Chicago this month)
Rudy Boehmer
Andrew Duguson
Sam Alfi
Alfredo Roman Flores
Nat Baimel
Virgina Ramos
Herminio Meneses
Ali Simon
Alex Breckenridge
Joe Braza
Fernando Rivera
Benjamin Rojas
Scott Shimamoto

See you February 18!

Takin' down names…

2010-01-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Joke Gym may be the only open mic that records the line-up of every show. Sure, you can scoff, but just wait until you need an alibi and the only thing standing between you and hard time is your name on a blog post.

Anyway, MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to the stage at the January 21 show:

Angel Acosta

Benjamin Rojas

Bill Kay

DJ Park*

Ali Simon

Nat Baimel

Paula Tejada

Scott Shimamoto

Omar Elba*

Sam Alfi

Herminio Meneses*

Alex Breckenridge

Ben

Chuck Ryor

Andrew Duguson*

Yashar Kafi

Sam Orona*

Lynne Bateson

Xavier Ray

Katsy Chappell

Steve Bruner

John Fontaine

Richard Chang

Victor Sonora

Aiko Tanaka
* First time at The Joke Gym

New year, new material!

2010-01-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

We had a full house on January 7. MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the Joke Gym stage:

Grassy
Virginia Ramos
Piotr Walczuk
Steve Bruner
Alfredo Flores
Ben
Jeni Bartiromo
Sam Alfi
Yashar Kafi
Dennis Vargas
Michael Frattasio
Zachariah Mroczkowski
Katsy Chappell
Lynne Bateson
Fernando Rivera
Javier Palenzuela
Matt Stefawn
Tiffany Pickel
Bill Kay
Paula Tejada
Victor Sonora
Charlotte Marie
Benjamin Rojas
Tyrone Fance

One of our wait-listed comics opted to get a guaranteed spot at the next show, so we'll see Tommy Donelson on January 21.

The Joke Gym Blog: Happy holidaze…

2009-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Joke Gym Blog: Happy holidaze…

Happy holidaze…

2009-12-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

We had a light lineup tonight, so everyone got six minutes.

But wait, there's more! Each comic received a gift from Santa, plus a copy of Scott Shimamoto's 1992 rap CD "The Banzai Beat."

Happy holidays to all The Joke regulars, especially tonight's comics:

Benjamin Rojas*
Sam Alfi
Chuck Ryor (aka "The Official Chaplain of The Joke Gym")
Michael Frattasio
Michelle Luna*
Yvonne LaVallée*
Rob Collister
Victor Sonora
Xavier Ray
Scott Shimamoto
Dennis Vargas
Zachariah Mroczkowski
Ben
*First time at The Joke Gym

Our shows are like snowflakes…no two are alike. See you on January 7.

The penultimate show of 2009

2009-12-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Guest MC Dennis Laganiere for a lively show on December 3. We had a great mix of regulars and new faces:

Zachariah Mroczkowski*
John Fontaine
Corey Craig
Michael Frattasio
Yashar Kafi
Todd Collins*
Steve Bruner
Ralph Eddy
Sam Alfi
Scott Shimamoto
Mike Mendola
Ben
Kid Philly*
Victor Sonora*
Paula Tejada
Fernando Rivera*
Grassy
Dennis Vargas
Tiffany Pickel
Jack Cunningham
Sherms
Jeni B.
Gina Rodgers
Ari Kutcher*
Abhay*
Will C.*
*First time at The Joke Gym

See you at our holiday show on Thursday, December 17.

New faces at The Joke Gym

2009-11-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the comics who came out and presented new material! MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these funny folks at Thursday's show:

Piotr Walczuk*

Fred Bauman

Ali Simon

Catherine Morse

David Moore*

Yashar Kafi

Mark Seaton

Ben

Paula Tejada

Tiffany Pickel

Frankie Pozos

Professor Ben

Jon Morse*

Alex Breckinridge*

Joel Mays

Dennis Vargas*

Angel Acosta

Chuck Ryor

Mary Becquet

Richard Chang

Rob Collister

*First time at The Joke Gym

Comedy's secret ingredient

2009-11-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

Know what's great? An audience that shows up at The Joke Gym and laughs!

MC Paula Johnson and these comics felt the love tonight:

Jack Cunningham
Martha Boles*
Yashar Kafi
John Fontaine
Corey Craig
Joe Kaplan
Brenda Lamberty*
Forrest Romero*
Professor Ben
Scott Shimamoto
Sherms
Eric Edwards
Paula Tejada
Erika Callahan*
Chuck Ryor*
Karmel Humphrey
Tiffany Pickel*
Jeni B.*
Rob Collister
Aiko Tanaka
*First time at The Joke Gym

Other open mics

2009-10-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

At the last Joke Gym, some of the comics were comparing notes about other good open mics. Here are details on two:

LA Pizza (Granada Hills)

Tuesdays, 8 to 10 p.m.

Register on SoCalStandup.com and you can sign up for a spot online. The also has a forum. Very neat system. The pizza place is in a shopping center, so it's free parking. The people are nice and there was an audience on the night I was there.

Coffee Gallery (Altadena)

Tuesdays, 8 p.m.

If you have current info on this show, leave a comment.

For lots of open mics, check Chucklemonky or Alan Lebetkin's list. (Feel free to leave a comment about The Joke Gym on Chucklemonkey. We eat that stuff up.)

If anyone is interested carpooling to Studio City or Granada Hills from the Pasadena area, let us know at the next Joke Gym. Maybe we can help put people in cars.

Prizes? Yeah, we had prizes!

2009-10-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

We had a lighter than usual turnout at The Joke Gym tonight which can only mean one thing: more minutes! Everyone got bumped up to six minutes, but not everyone used all their time. Go figure.

Many thanks to Guest MC Kito Robinson for keeping the show lively and for awarding gift cards to four lucky comics.

Ralph Eddy

Michael Frattasio

Yashar Kafi

Mark Seaton

Ben Rosenfeld

John Fontaine

Sherms

Scott Shimamoto

Yak

Gina Rodgers*

Sam Alfi*

Rob Collister

Danny Lerner*

Jim Tavares

*First time at The Joke Gym

Thanks to all the comics for bringing new material. It's great to see how material evolves.

Starting October with a laugh

2009-10-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the über-loquacious Tyrone Fance for serving as guest MC at tonight's show. He welcomed 21 comics to The Joke Gym stage:

Richard Weiss

Rose Hienz*

Liliana Cervantes

Xavier Ray

Joe Kaplan

Mark Fernandez*

Yashar Kafi

Bobbie Oliver

Ralph Eddy

Scott Shimamoto

Eric Edwards*

Trevor Amparan*

Corey Craig

Virginia Jauregui

Paula Johnson

Paula Tejada

Jeff Foster

Wyatt Hewison*

Angel Acosta

Todd Maugh*

Ben

* First time at The Joke Gym

See you on October 15 when our guest MC is Kito Robinson.

The end of "nice"

2009-09-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

MC Paula Johnson decided to dispense with "nice" at the September 17 show. She verbally abused most of these comics:

Johnny Roque
Mike Concepcion
Robert Weems*
Corey Craig
Bobby Oliver
Katsy Chappell
Ali Simon
Yak
Tymon Shipp
Scott Shimamoto
Mark Akita
Tom Vrab
Lynne Bateson
Yashar Kafi
Bill Kay
Angel Acosta
Xavier Ray
Paula Tejada
Keith Michael Ashton
Joel Mays*
Liliana Cervantes*
Kito Robinson
*First time at The Joke Gym

Join us on October 1 with our Guest MC Tyrone Fance.

Pre-Labor Day laughs

2009-09-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

It was a hot, humid, smoky week in the San Gabriel Valley, but that did not stop 21 comics from hitting The Joke Gym. MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics (including himself):

Marie Marquez
Johnny Roque
Wenzel Jones*
Bill Kay
Paula Tejada
Rosé
Lynne Bateson
Tom Sheridan
Safari Dave
Rob Collister
Scott Shimamoto
Ralph Eddy
Keith Michael Ashton*
Eric DeLuca
Corey Craig
Nat Baimel
Mark Akita
Alan Weiss
Ben Rosenfeld*
Virginia Ramos
Sherms
* First time at The Joke Gym

Our next show is Thursday, September 17 with MC Paula Johnson.

Lottery sign-up system to start Sept. 3

2009-09-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

The Joke Gym will start using a lottery system at the Thursday, Sept. 3 show.

Details are on The Joke Gym website.

Feel free to leave your comments on this blog either before or after the show.

Comedians, check your links

2009-08-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

If you've performed at The Joke Gym, make sure the link to your name (in the crazy-long list at right) is correct.

We can link to any URL, but usually it's to a website, blog, YouTube clip, MySpace page or Facebook page. (If we don't have a URL for you, the default link is to The Joke Gym website.)

Email us your new or updated link and we'll update the list.

That pre-grad show glut...of comics

2009-08-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

MC Scott Shimamoto kicked it off early so we could get a whole lotta comedians on stage, including:

Earl Turner
Barry Weisenberg
Hillary Freedman*
Vince Takas
Michael Frattasio*
Ali Simon
Kevin Barry

Scott Shimamoto
Howard Westcott
Anthony Collazo*
Yashar Kafi
Yak
Paula Tejada
Mike Roach*
Ralph Eddy
Jerry Dahlgren
Xavier Ray
Virginia Jauregui
Lynn Bateson
Charlie Hsu
Bill Kay
Kwib Zaybar*
Mark Akita
Sherms
Sarah Goodrum*
Angel Acosta
Rob Collister
Alan Weiss
*First time at The Joke Gym

A baker's dozen (twice) of funny

2009-08-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the comics who make The Joke Gym so dang much fun. Tonight MC Paula Johnson started the show early to let these 26 comics take the stage:

Johnny Roque
Tymon Shipp
Steve Bruner
Karmel Humphrey*
Reggie Jr.*
Sherms
Marco Assante
Mark Akita
Virginia Jauregui
Jeff Foster
Jack Cunningham*
Paula Tejada*
Charlie Hsu*
Marie Marquez*
Richard Chang
Ralph Eddy
Xavier Ray
Mike Concepcion*
Corey Craig
Amy Ashton
Bill Kay
Lynne Bateson*
Grace Koh*
Ali Smith
Reyna Queen*
Katsy Chappell
*First time at The Joke Gym

Co-producer Scott Shimamoto could not make tonight's show, but will be back as MC for the August 20 show. See you then.

Yet another network

2009-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

LinkedIn is a networking site in the same vein as Facebook and MySpace—minus the goofy stuff.

If you're trying to get corporate gigs, a profile on LinkedIn may help. There's even a group for Stand-up Comedians.

Is it still stand-up if you call it in?

2009-07-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

This just in from the vacationing Scott Shimamoto:

So I make the initial call to Katsy to try to talk smack via phone, but once I walked into the restaurant I lost the signal. Dang! I was in Prescott Arizona and AT&T sucks there!!!

I know the show went great, but the technical difficulty messed me up. : (

I have a new AT&T Wireless joke though so all is not lost

Paula, you can print this on the blog!

Thanks
Scott Shimamoto

Sent from my iPhone
www.ScottShimamoto.com

The Joke Gym cured my cold!

2009-07-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

You know how it is when you have a killer cold and you'd like to call in sick but you can't because the only person at work who could cover for you is off on a fabulous vacation?

Well, that's how I felt when I was loading my car to head to The Joke Gym tonight. I really wanted to chug some NyQuil and go to bed early, but Scott Shimamoto is out of town. Drat!

The show must go on, so I hauled my hacking, snotty self to Arcadia and somthing wonderful happened. All that comedy cleared my sinuses. I barely coughed in two hours.

IT'S A FREAKING MIRACLE. The Joke Gym cured my cold!

Many thanks to guest MC Katsy Chappell who did a great job welcoming tonight's line-up. (Scroll down for a clip of her dream car.)

Ali Simon*
Jerry Dahlgren*
Bill Kay*
Jeff Foster
Bobbie Oliver
Barry Weisenberg
Virginia Ramos
Rob Collister
Kevin Barry*
Karen Anzoategui
Rhune Kincaid*
Yashar Kafi
Howard Wescott*
Eric DeLuca
Dylan Fleming*
Amy Ashton
Alan Weiss*
Patrick Hill
Tyrone Fance
*First time at The Joke Gym

First timers, don't forget to email us the URL to your website, blog, MySpace page or Twitter page so we can promote you on the performers' list at right. (If we don't have a link for you, we link to The Joke Gym site and that's not going to do you any good.)

The next show is August 6. See you there.

We love a good parody

2009-07-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Who WERE those people?

2009-07-03T16:26:00.001-07:00

Our open mic on July 2 featured something new: an audience. Yes, there at least eight people who were not comics. They laughed at the right spots and acted, in all ways, very audience-like.

MC Paula Johnson welcomed these comics to The Joke Gym stage:
Johnny Roque
Lalo Quezada
Nat Baimel
Safari Dave
Jeremy Paul*
Xavier Ray
Rudy Boehmer
Virginia Jauregui
Jeff Foster
Scott Shimamoto
Ralph Eddy*
Mark Seaton
John Fontaine
Richard Chang
Amy Ashton
Yashar Kafi
Rob Collister
Angel Acosta
Lightfinger
Katsy Chapell
Jean Gliebe
*First time at The Joke Gym

Writers Desireé Zamorano, Judy Seckler, and Susan Compo were in the audience on July 2.

Comics Lightfinger and Mark Seaton.

Improv guru/comedian John Fontaine, and Joke Gym co-producers Paula Johnson and Scott Shimamoto.

Back to school night

2009-06-18T23:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all the comics who came to work out tonight (and special thanks to the ones who stayed!) New material needs a safe place to blossom.

A special shout-out to Tom Sheridan who brought his handy flip-chart and explained multivariate analysis 'n' stuff. Thank heavens there was not a pop quiz.

MC Scott Shimamoto welcomed these comics to the stage:
Tymon Shipp
Catherine Morse*
Dave Sobel
Michelle De La Cruz
Barry Weisenberg
Sherms
Richard Chang
Virginia Jauregui
Steve Liefer
Mark Akita
Xavier Ray
Yashar Kafi
Scott Shimamoto
Earl Turner
Jeff Foster
Nat Baimel
Eric Koziatek*
Tom Sheridan
Rudy Boehmer
Angel Acosta
Travis Last*
* First time at The Joke Gym

Tom Sheridan explains everything…

Two hours of funny business

2009-06-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Guest MC Patrick Hill who kept the energy going for tonight's jam-packed line-up:

Vince Takas
Tymon Shipp
Angel Acosta
Xavier Ray
Mark Seaton
Adam Hastings*
Marco*
Arthur Harris*
Sherms
Scott Shimamoto
Yashar Kafi
Nat Baimel
Josh Meltzer*
Mark Akita
Virgina Jauregui
Earl Turner*
Jeff Foster*
Caroline Adalian*
Rob Collister
Richard Chang
Allen Koff*
John French*
Karen Anzoategui*
Johnny Roque
Aiko Tanaka*
*First time at The Joke Gym

Join us on Thursday, June 28 with MC Scott Shimamoto!

This looks like another boy-band reunion, but it's really comedians Richard Chang, Patrick Hill, Scott Shimamoto, Mark Akita, and Johnny Roque.

Joke Gym regular Virginia Jauregui explains the ropes to first-timers Karen Anzoategui and Aiko Tanaka. Or maybe they're talking about the shoe sale at Nordstrom.

Another full show at Zapata Vive...

2009-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the comics who torn themselves away from something called "the playoffs" and performed at The Joke Gym last night.

Lots of new material, and more penis jokes than you could, um, shake a stick at.

MC Scott Shimamoto

Ben

Chris Adams

Jerry Brandt

Johnny Roque

Kyle Erby

Richard Weiss

Tymon Shipp

Tyrone Fance

Angel Acosta

Scott Shimamoto

Mark Seaton

John Fontaine

Alan Lee*

Virginia Jauregui

Mark Akita

Yashar Kafi

Nat Baimel

Vern James*

Casey McAdams*

Mike Mendola

Xavier Ray*

Matthew Fazio*

*First time at The Joke Gym

We didn't have time for these comics, so they get guaranteed spots at the June 4 show:

Arthur Harris

Lightfinger

Sherms

Eric Koziatek

See you on June 4 with Guest MC Patrick Hill. Remember to "friend" The Joke Gym on MySpace.

Happy Siete de Mayo, y'all

2009-05-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rochelle Ordaz (standing next to Richard Chang) and her friends for playing the role of "audience" at tonight's show. Here's the line-up:

MC Paula Johnson
Joe Braza
Safari Dave
Grassy*
Ryan Anglin*
Barry Weisenberg
Mark Akita
Will Navé*
Charles Kellam*
Rudy Boehmer
Scott Shimamoto
Mark Seaton
Yashar Kafi
Virginia Jauregui
Dustin Stary*
Ben
Richard Chang
Nate Baimel
Lightfinger
John Fontaine
*First time at The Joke Gym

Thanks to everyone for sharing your new material and watching the clock. The next show is May 21 with MC Scott Shimamoto.

We're paying our dues AND our taxes? Crap!

2009-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

A car accident and sore back couldn't stop Rob Collister from bringing the funny for his turn as guest MC at Thursday night's Joke Gym. Remember, today's excruciating pain is tomorrow's material.

In addition to the following comics, we even had a few audience members in the house!

Mark Seaton
Patrick Hill
Dave Sobel
Safari Dave
Virginia Jauregui
Mark Akita
Ben
John Mader*
Tyrone Fance
Yashar Kafi
Nat Baimel
Richard Chang
Sherms
Scott Shimamoto
Yak
Ray Chung
Richard Weiss
Angel Acosta
*First time at The Joke Gym

No photos this time. (Someone forgot her camera.) Our next show is Thursday, May 7. Paula Johnson will MC.

Comedy for a cause

2009-04-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Joke Gym co-producer Scott Shimamoto organized a great comedy benefit at Arcadia High School on April 3. As the entertainment chair for the Arcadia Relay for Life, he produces the "Relay for Laffs" event at The Ice House. This year's show is on April 25.

The following Joke Gym regulars performed at Arcadia High School:
Patrick Hill
Paula Johnson
Corey Craig
Richard Chang
Diane Kawasaki
Tom Vrab
Amy Ashton
Yak Manrique
Tymon Shipp

On Saturday, April 4, these Joke Gym regulars performed at a neurofibromatosis benefit produced by SUA alumnus Sarah Jane:

Corey Craig
David Smith
Yak Manrique
Rudy Boehmer
Paula Johnson
Tom Vrab

Four new faces at The Joke Gym!

2009-04-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Another fun night of no-sweat stand-up comedy with MC Scott Shimamoto.

Last night's line-up featured:
Vicky Nissen*
Steve Bruner
Tymon Shipp
Safari Dave
Barry Weisenberg
Nat Baimel*
Mark Akita
Frankie Pozos*
Yak
Ben
Eno Inwek*
Mark Seaton
Patrick Hill
Tyrone Fance
Richard Chang
Angel Acosta
Paula Johnson
*First time at The Joke Gym

The next show is April 16 with guest MC Rob Collister.

How do you say "ham" in Korean? "Richard Chang."

We're glad Vicky Nissen made the trek from the marina—she's funny.

Paula Johnson with all the usual suspects: Patrick Hill, Mark Seaton, Tyrone Fance and Mark Akita.

March madness, er, comedy

2009-03-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Arcadia Relay for Life volunteers who stayed put after their meeting to see the show. Gee, we love an audience!

MC: Paula Johnson
Safari Dave*
Steve Leifer
Mark Akita
Yak
Rudy Boehmer
Patrick Hill
Yashar Kafi
Virginia Jauregui
Jerry Brandt
Chris Adams
Scott Shimamoto
Mark Seaton
Ben
Kyle Erby*
Richard Weiss
Ray Chung
Tom Vrab
Johnny Gold
Richard Chang
Jim Tavares
Sherms
Katsy Chappell
* First time at The Joke Gym

We've been filling all of our slots at each show, so comics who cannot get onstage at one show can get a guaranteed slot at the following show. Steve Bruner, Tyrone Fance, and Amy Ashton are already signed up for the April 2 show. Scott Shimamoto will MC.

Yashar Kafi and Jim Tavares

Mark Akita, Patrick Hill, Rudy Boehmer, and Jim Tavares

Scott Shimamoto

Talking with Tim? We did it!

2009-03-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

Pop culture blogger Tim O' Shea interviewed me and Scott Shimamoto about The Joke Gym for his "Talking with Tim" series. Read the interview here.

Started early, ended on time! We rock!

2009-03-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Full roster? Yup, we had to start the show at 6:45 p.m. just to get 24 comics on stage. We had to turn away at least seven performers.

Thanks to guest MC Rosé (at right) who keep the show moving and to the comics who worked it out, five minutes at a time:

Tim Cannon
Leanne Kasper*
Barry Weisenberg
Tymon Shipp
Corey Craig
Mike Allen
Tommy Natoli
Mark Seaton
Scott Shimamoto
Jim Tavares*
Trenton Stuart Jones*
Mark Akita
Virginia Jauregui
Patrick Hill
David Soltero
Rudy Boehmer
John Fontaine
Mikey McKernan
Bombo!
Collette Wagner*
Angel Acosta
Amy Ashton
Richard Chang
*First time at The Joke Gym

John Fontaine and Scott Shimamoto attempt to count the number of times John's performed stand-up.

Tim Cannon, Virginia Jauregui, Jim Tavares, and Mark Akita enjoy a post-show glow.

Anniversary show welcomes 25 comics!

2009-02-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

What a fun, funny, and slightly sloshed show last night! MC Scott Shimamoto powered through out biggest line-up yet:

Virgina Ramos
Tim Cannon
Mark Akita
Barry Weisenberg
Bobbie Oliver
Robbie Pickard
Yak
Mark Seaton
Ben
Virginia Jauregui*
David Soltero
Mike Knox
Rudy Boehmer
John Fontaine
Yashar Kafi
Sami Sutker*
Stevelos*
Patrick Hill
Kelly Dennis
Michael Becquet* (yeah, husband of Mary Becquet!)
Angel Acosta*
Lightfinger
Richard Chang
Sherms*
Tyrone Fance
Amy Ashton
* First time at The Joke Gym

Congrats to Mary Becquet, Rudy Boehmer, John Fontaine, Patrick Hill, Yashar Kafi, Robbie Pickard, Virginia Ramos, Ben, Mark Seaton and Yak for their winning answers in the Joke Gym trivia contest.

Comics, check your name on the long list to the right. If we don't have a link to your MySpace page, website or blog, email me with the URL. (Nothing wrong with promoting yourself, y'know.)

The next show is Thursday March 5. Our guest MC is Rosé, our favorite 80-something comedy cougar. Check our website for upcoming shows and MCs.

Don't forget to friend The Joke Gym on MySpace.

Scott Shimamoto and Paula Johnson with their red-hot mama, Bobbie Oliver. In case you can't read the web address on Bobbie's bosom, it is StandupAcademy.net.

Looking like the cast of some wacky reality show is Mark Akita, David Soltero, Patrick Hill, Mark Seaton and John Fontaine.

Yak writes brilliant new material as Robbie Pickard and Scott Shimamoto look on in wonder.

Chicks rule: Kelly Dennis, Bobbie Oliver, Mary Becquet and Virginia Ramos.

Underwater comedy

2009-02-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

Nothing puts me in the mood for comedy like a 13-mile drive that takes 50 minutes in the pouring rain. But you can't stop stand-up. We had a full line-up at the February 5 show in spite of the weather.

I took a turn as MC and introduced old friends as well as two new faces:

Patrick Hill
Corey Craig
Vince Takas
Tim Chizmar
Kelly Dennis
Mark Akita
Yashar Kafi
Crazy Marv Ladd
Mike McCulley
Scott Shimamoto
Yak
Joe Mascardo*
Barry Weisenberg
Amy Ashton*
Tyrone Fance
Katsy Chappell
Sam Shimamura
Dave Evans
*First time at The Joke Gym

We even had a small, but enthusiastic audience that included Marge and Jim Laris. He writes the "Cigar Smoke" column in the Pasadena Weekly. (She puts up with him.)

Thanks for braving the storm.

New year, new jokes (and some golden oldies)

2009-01-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

(From left) Steve Bruner, Amy Snively, Dennis Burke, Patrick Hill, Katsy Chappell, Tyrone Fance.

(From left) Tom Vrab, Ryan Niemiller, Yashar Kafi, Rob Collister, Yak.

Richard Chang and Tom Vrab, who is not smoking a ciggie—he's all about the Tootsie-Pop.

The new year started late for The Joke Gym because we didn't have a show on January 1. We made up for it, however, but recruiting our favorite Jewish Canadian rocket scientist as guest MC.

Yes, Rudy Boehmer did the honors at another full house tonight.

In the open mic:
Dave Smith
Tom Vrab
Ryan Niemiller
Jim Lee
Corey Craig
Paula Johnson
Mark Seaton
Patrick Hill
Mark Akita
Tim Cannon*
Crazy Marvin Ladd
Scott Shimamoto
Yak
Ben
Eric DeLuca
Steve Bruner*
Barry Weisenberg
Steve Schneider
Yashar Kafi
Katsy Chappell
Richard Chang
Tyrone Fance
Dennis Burke*
*First time at The Joke Gym

And a special thanks to Amy Snively who was the last of our booked featured comics.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

We were chillin' (literally)

2008-12-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

So...it was a little frigid in the room. Okay, it was so cold that most of the comics kept their jackets on. It was like a multi-cultural Michelin Man family reunion.

MC Scott Shimamoto stayed cool in the cold and delivered one of the night's best zingers: "THIS should be The Ice House!"

Tonight's comedians included:
Tom Sheridan
David Costantino (feel better soon dude!)
Rudy Boehmer
Barry Weisenberg
Michelle De La Cruz*
Mark Akita
Tom Matthews*
Ben
Sam Shimamura*
Dave Evans*
Richard Chang
Joe Doyle*
Virginia Ramos
Yashar Kafi
Mark Leonard*
Chris Adams*
Johnny Gold*
Tyrone Fance
Mark Seaton
Patrick Hill
*First time at The Joke Gym