This week of comedy has a little bit of political flavor mixed in with some music, along with the usual suspects in this space. If you're looking for for heap of thought-provoking cynicism, the Ice House in Pasadena will be the place to go. That's where you'll find Bill Maher on Friday night, with his brand of biting honesty coming with him.
Maher's blunt and irreverant take on politics and society have earned him a lot of fans and critical praise over the years. He's probably best known by his HBO show "Real Time With Bill Maher" and well as "Politically Incorrect," where Maher comically quarterbacks discussion with everyone from politicians to actors to writers. Maher has racked up a handful of HBO features, including "Bill Maher: Be More Cynical," as well as "I'm Swiss," which was nominated for an Emmy award.
If you want to find more information on him, you can check out his Web site at www.billmaher.com.
After Maher, you've got "Slanted Comedy" on Sunday, hosted by Paul Ogata. This show features both established and up-and-coming Asian comics, such as Edwin San Juan, Jo Koy and Bernadette Balagtas. The show runs for about 90 minutes.
Wrapping up the week at the Ice House are the Latino Comedy Showcase on Tuesday (hosted by Rudy Moreno) and the Comedy Time Stand-Up showcase with Ian Bagg. Heading on over to the Brea Improv gets you a chance to see John Pinette from tonight through Sunday night. A former accountant, Pinette has been in the comedy game for about 15 years, and he's racked up his share of accolades in that span.
He was named "Comedian of the Year" by the American Comedy Awards in 1999, and he was also nominated for a Gemini Award for his 2000 performance at the Montreal Comedy Festival. Pinette's also been on both the big and small screens as well. You may have seen him in "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" back in the day, and he's made regular appearances on both "The Tonight Show" and "The View.
" After Pinette, the week wraps up with "Comedy Juice" on Tuesday and "Dirty Comedy with Joey Diaz" on Wednesday. Finally, you can head to the Ontario Improv for the combo platter of Darren Carter and DJ Cooch starting tonight and running all the way through Sunday. We've talked about Carter in this space before.
His brand of comedy first hatched when he was an overnight DJ in Fresno. Then he moved to San Jose and a theme park job, where he had to entertain the people waiting in line, his voice doing battle with the roar of roller coasters nearby. After a stop in San Diego to hone his skills, Carter moved to L.
A. Since then, he's made appearances on "The Tonight Show," as well as "Comic View" and "Premium Blend." DJ Cooch (Jorge Aldama is his real name) earned a reputation for being an on-demand turntable wizard for everything from desert raves to high-powered concerts.
But in addition to his beatmaking abilities, he also showed off his ability to work a crowd. In 2004, DJ Cooch put on his first stand-up comedy performance. Since that time, he's been a headliner on the scene, and he's also gotten to share the stage with comics like Carlos Mencia and Pablo Francisco.
He still handles the music side of things, establishing his "Cooch and Company" group, which is comprised of DJs under DJ Cooch's guidance.
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