Topic: Stand-up Comedy

10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.

'Swag' joins waste, fraud, and abuse

A presidential order calling for the government to trim spending has cast the spotlight on an old term with a new meaning.

Chris Tucker: Why he left, and why he's back on stage

Chris Tucker returned to the stage Aug. 13 after four years away from the spotlight. But Chris Tucker is far from the first comedian to take a sabbatical.

Cars 2: movie review

'Cars 2' is marginally better than 'Cars' and pulls in some familiar voices, such as Larry the Cable Guy and Owen Wilson.

Pandora comedy channels: A new direction for music app?

Pandora goes slapstick. Meanwhile, the popular music-streaming service logs its ten billionth 'thumb.'

Free speech in a fishbowl

In a world where everyone has access instantly to what is said on the other side of the planet, free speech has to reckon with millions of new 'free listeners'

Stephen Colbert and laughable politics: Five comedians who ran for office

American politics have been the subject of satire since before the country's founding. These days the US benefits from a healthy dose of humorous political commentary, but when the jokers run for political office (jokingly of course, right?) some funny things can happen. Here are five memorable ones.

Recession humor enjoys global boom

Audiences are increasingly turning to comedy to ease the recession blues.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work: movie review

Tina Fey to get prestigious Mark Twain humor prize

Tina Fey joins the ranks of Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin and others who have won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Thanks to grassroots Facebook campaign, actress Betty White to host 'Saturday Night Live'

Betty White, whose career spans seven decades, will host a special Mother's Day episode of Saturday Night Live on May 8, thanks to a grassroots Facebook campaign.

Betty White to host Saturday Night Live

Betty White will host Saturday Night Live on Mother's Day weekend.

Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff

Garry Shandling's humor on DVD, an Italian cook's life in paperback, Cuban music after Castro, and more.

The Jay Leno Show and the rise of political humor

Jay Leno's new show debuts tonight and features a Washington-based political correspondent.

Review: 'Paper Heart'

Docudrama about falling love in love has a sweet, meandering quality.

Review: 'Funny People'

Adam Sandler plays a successful comic coming to grips with a possibly fatal diagnosis in the latest Judd Apatow comedy.

Reality: The Novel

Black comedians adapt to Obama era. Is 'angry' out?

With a black president, stand-ups may have to rethink some of their material.

From our files: The nonconforming George Carlin

The irreverent comedian, who died June 22, was interviewed by the Monitor in 1973 after a transitional time for his standup routine in which, he says he had discovered his true character - himself.

'Clean coal' ad parody

The sketch comedy troupe freeloveforum has taken aim at those ubiquitous "clean coal" ads.

Tubegazing: Tracy Ullman's 'State of the Union'

The comedienne's Showtime series creates skits you won't see on 'Saturday Night Live.'