Magic Meathands

Corey plays 3 people in Kathie Bostian’s video for The X-Ecution

Fellow Magic Meathand Kathie Bostian has been on a long journey competing with other comedic improvisers in an elimination-style show called The X-Ecution, a joint production by The Improv Space and iO West. It all started on March 31st with 24 improvisers. Each week, a contestant has been voted off based on their performance, feedback from a panel of judges, and votes from a live audience. After last Friday’s show, we’re down to the Final 3 and one more show. And the great news is that Kathie is still in the running! The big winner gets $500 and meetings with heads of casting from Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS.

For last week’s show, the Top 4 were each asked to write and produce a 4-minute video starring themselves in a hero’s journey. Kathie not only asked me to be in her video, she asked me to play every male role in the whole dang thing. That ended up being 3 different characters. Other Meathands helped out too. Mary Benedict played the other women characters that weren’t Kathie, and the whole thing was edited by Shane Boroomand. The video played during last week’s show, and I’m told it was a big hit.

Watch it for yourself and let me know what you think:

The final show is this Thursday night, 8 PM, at The Improv Space.

Fun and Games II: The Red Tokens

Magic Meathands Original video #12!

The popular Gamer characters are back for the expanded version of that world-famous board game Calcatron! If you’ve ever played a game with someone that takes it a tad too seriously, you’ll probably relate. But to be fair, the red tokens are a pretty intuitive add-on once you’ve used prime numbers to determine who goes first.

Also, I friggin’ love the screen capture YouTube selected for this one.

Mary Benedict wrote and directed this one, and also played the part of Mary. I play Corey, Nikki Turner played Nikki and Kathie Bostian played Kathie. Pretty tricky character names, huh? Shane Boroomand was the cameraman and editor. Nick DeBenedetto handled sound.

To see Mary’s first attempt at playing a board game with us, check out this video.

Archives:
Magic Meathands Original video #11: Gabby’s Good Luck Minute III
Magic Meathands Original video #10: Gabby’s Good Luck Minute II
Magic Meathands Original video #9: Catnip
Magic Meathands Original video #8: Pheel Good
Magic Meathands Original video #7: Corey vs. His Nemesis
Magic Meathands Original video #6: Gabby’s Good Luck Minute
Magic Meathands Original video #5: Gotcha
Magic Meathands Original video #4: ManCoaster
Magic Meathands Original video #3: Pants – A Nightmare
Magic Meathands Original video #2: Fun and Games
Magic Meathands Original video #1: Eddie the Enforcer

Subscribe to the Magic Meathands YouTube channel.

Friday is Brought to You by Guitar Kitteh

Things to do this weekend in LA:

COMEDY – The X-ecution: Final 4! Kathie Bostian of the Magic Meathands is still in the running! It’s elimination-style improv comedy with $500 and meetings with top talent agencies at stake. Find out who gets eliminated and who moves on to the next week at The Improv Space in Westwood, Friday, 8-9 PM. Tickets: $10.

BOOK RELEASE – Surreal painter/cartoonist Tom Neely has a book release and signing for his new release The Wolf at Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake, Friday, 8-10 PM. Tickets: free. [Interview/preview at LA Weekly]

COMEDY – The Magic Meathands (with me!) and Jump Start: two improv comedy troupes for one night of spontaneous funny, at The Spot Café in Culver City, Saturday, 8-10 PM. Tickets: $7.

COMEDY – Comedy Revival features over a dozen stand-up comics (Steve Simone, Matty Goldberg, Abbey Londer, Hailey Boyle, Francisco Abello, Rosie Tran, Kelsey Cook, Mark Alderson, TK Kelly, Matina Bevis, Erin Hart, Adam Barnhardt, and Ted Twyman!) in the Belly Room of The Comedy Store in Hollywood, Sunday, 8-10 PM.

Magic Meathands team up with Jump Start for full night of improv comedy Saturday night

Subject line kind of says it all.

The Magic Meathands (with me!) will be performing a full hour of live improvised comedy at The Spot Café in Culver City. We’ll be joined by the South Bay-based improv group Jump Start. The show starts Saturday night at 8 PM and costs only $7 for the whole night.

Here’s the event listing on Facebook for more details.

Friday is Brought to You by Tail Battling Kittehs

Things to do in and around LA:

WEB-SERIES – The indie film Good Grief posts to its Facebook page a prologue short focusing on the character Penn, loosely based on Pigpen from Charles M. Schulz’ Peanuts classic comic strip, only viewable from Friday, 10 AM (aka, now) – Monday, 10 PM.

CONVENTION – The Anime Expo, celebrating all things manga and anime, starts today and runs through the long weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown LA. Tickets: $75 for 4-day pass, $65 for 2-day, $50 for 1-day, $25 for children 5-12, free for children up to age 4.

COMEDY – The Magic Meathands (with me!) perform live improv comedy based on audience suggestions at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, Friday, 8 PM. Tickets: $10.

HOLIDAY – Happy Birthday, America! Get up somewhere high in Los Angeles with a pair of binoculars, and you can see a bunch of fireworks shows in different neighborhoods and cities for the Fourth of July.

Things to do in NY:

FILM FESTIVAL – The documentary Dig Comics, which I helped produce, screens at the New Filmmakers Summer Fest at the Anthology Film Archives, Friday, 6 PM. Tickets: $9.

Laugh for Freedom

This Friday night, I join the Magic Meathands to kick off the July 4th weekend at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. What better way to celebrate our freedom?

It’s a full hour of improvisational theater for comedic results. We’ll be doing a mixture of short-form games and long-form scenarios, using your suggestions. There’s even a chance or two for you to join us on stage, if you are so inclined. And we hope you are.

The ticket for our show is also good for the two shows immediately after us, The Waterbrains and Mission: IMPROVable, two hilarious improv comedy groups.

Friday, July 1, 8 PM
Tickets: $10
Event Details on Facebook

Friday is brought to you by Doggie Cuddling Kitteh

Things to do in LA this weekend:

COMEDY – The X-ecution: Final 5 Part 2! No one was voted off last week, so Kathie Bostian of the Magic Meathands returns! It’s elimination-style improv comedy with $500 and meetings with top talent agencies at stake. Find out who gets eliminated and who moves on to the next week at The Improv Space in Westwood, Friday, 8-9 PM. Tickets: $10.

COMEDY/COMICS/THEATER – The new and improved Spectacular Superhero Variety Hour at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, Friday, 8 PM. Tickets: $10. [Interview with director Ben Dickow]

THEATER – Another production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) opens to celebrate the show’s 10th Anniversary. It’s a parody of the Bard’s plays performed by 3 men in 2 hours, at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre, Friday, 7 PM. Tickets: $25-35.

COMEDY – The improv comedy group Held2Gether does their totally uncensored show Last Laugh Saturday at the Hot Java, Long Beach, Saturday, 8 – 11 PM.

This Friday is brought to you by Don’t Like Surprise Kitteh

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend:

COMEDY – The X-ecution: Final 6 and we’re still rooting for Kathie Bostian of the Magic Meathands! It’s elimination-style improv comedy with $500 and meetings with top talent agencies at stake. Find out who gets eliminated and who moves on to the next week at The Improv Space in Westwood, Friday, 8-9 PM. Tickets: $10

MUSIC – Singer/songwriter Maureen Toth launches her debut album Shine at Molly Malone’s in the Fairfax District of LA, Friday, 8 PM. She’ll be joined for an acoustic set with blues/folk guitarist Bernie Larsen, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton. Tickets: $10

COMMUNITY – The Great Wall of Los Angeles Bubble Bath is looking for volunteers. Help clean up the longest mural in the world (1000 feet depicting the history of Los Angeles from pre-history to now!) by gathering with others at the Great Wall of Los Angeles in Valley Glen, Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM. If interested, email felipe@sparcmurals.org or call 310-822-9560, ext 10 at the the Social and Public Art Resource Center and leave your name, phone and email.

COMEDY – I perform family friendly improv comedy with the Magic Meathands at the The Spot Café & Lounge in Culver City, Saturday, 8 PM. Opening for us is the South Bay improv troupe Jump Start. Tickets: $7 ($3 for kids 12 & under)

THEATER – Pulp Shakespeare answers the age-old question, “What if Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction was written by William Shakespeare?”, at the Actor’s Circle Theatre in West Hollywood, Saturday, 6 PM and Sunday, 7 PM. Catch the previews of this show right before it officially debuts at Hollywood Fringe next week. Tickets: $10

Family-Friendly Funnies on Saturday

The Magic Meathands welcome you, your kids, your siblings, your neighbors, your co-workers, your parents, your in-laws, your aunts and uncles, your grandparents! When we say all-ages, we mean all-ages.

This Saturday starting at 8 PM, it’s our Family-Friendly show! We’re joined with fellow improv comedy performance group Jump Start for 2 hours of comedy at The Spot Café in Culver City. Tickets are $7.

This Friday is brought to you by Gravity Defying Kitteh

Things to do in and around LA this weekend:

COMICS – Reed Gunther Release Party! Celebrate the debut of the all-ages cowboy comic book from Image Comics with creators Shane and Chris Houghton who will be signing and sketching for free. Plus a giant snake! At Golden Apple Comics in Hollywood, Friday, 7 PM – 9 PM.

COMEDY – I perform improv comedy with the Magic Meathands at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, Friday, 8 PM. Immediately after us will be the always hilarious Waterbrains and Mission: IMPROVable. Tickets: $10.

ACTIVISM – SlutWalk LA is the latest in a series of demonstrations across North America in response to a Toronto police officer who advised students to not dress like “sluts” as a safety tip to avoid rape. Believing that “those who experience sexual assault are not the ones at fault, without exception,” participants will begin in West Hollywood Park, Saturday, 12:00 noon.

COMMUNITY – The Long Beach Basket Brigade has their 3rd annual fundraiser to help families in and around Long Beach. Silent and live auctions, Texas Hold ’em and Bunco Tournaments, and a fine dinner all help to raise money. At The Grand Event Center in Long Beach, Saturday, 6 PM – 11 PM.