Taken from Lou Sanz on facebook:

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Hi guys,

If you haven't bought your ticket yet for the Skirt Network's "Skirting Around" this FRIDAY 25th SEPTEMBER @ 8.45pm at The Lithuanian Club, Errol St, North Melbourne...for the price of only $24...then you should - because we have some amazing acts!

Claire Hooper (Good News Week, Channel 10)
Claudia O'Doherty (From the award winning 'Pig Island')
Karin Muiznieks (World War Wonderful)
Poet Laureate Telia Neville (Best Comedy Writing, Short and Sweet)
Isabel Hertaeg (La Petite Mort)
Nelly Thomas (Winner: National Triple J Raw Comedy Competition 2003)
Kate Boston-Smith (a new little treat)
Felicity Ward (Best Newcomer, Melbourne Fringe 2008)
The Cloud Girls (Triple J)
Super Girly (BBC UK)
Andrea Powell and Geraldine Hickey (you'll just have to wait and see)
Lou Sanz (Moosehead Award Recipient 2009)
Kate Mclennan (Melbourne Fringe Best Comedy Award and the Most Outstanding Newcomer for her critically acclaimed one-woman show “The Debutante Diaries" 2006)
Kelly Fastuca (...she wants to go the logies, we really can't ellaborate more)
Bron Batten (The Last Tuesday Society)
Geraldine Quinn (2006 Green Room Award WINNER - 'Best Emerging Cabaret Artist)
Celia Pacquola (Age Critics Award 2009)

Ok, so it's a lot - but what a great way to kick off your fringe festival.

Tickets can be bought here: http://tix.melbournefringe.com.au/session.asp?s=168

Look forward to seeing you there.

The Skirt Network
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While I'm not that fond of Dave Hughes, I know lots of people out there are. Whether it's his 'agro' episodes, his voice or his everyman appeal, it's up to you. Check out his comic talent in his new DVD:

[From the press release]
Dave Hughes is perhaps one of the most important and significant talents to have emerged from the Australian comedy scene in the last ten years. A natural and un- mistakably Australian comic, Dave’s laconic style thinly disguises one of the fastest comic minds this country has ever seen.

It was at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 1999 that Hughesy was forced to move from a tiny upstairs city bar into a 300-seat room at the Melbourne Town Hall. Word had started to spread about this impossibly laid back guy from Warrnambool.

Since 1999, the word has spread even further and Hughesy has become one of the biggest and most loved names in Australian stand up comedy. Honest and imperfect is how Australians like their comedy and Dave Hughes delivers exactly that in spades.

Along with Kate Langbroek, Hughesy makes up Mel- bourne’s Nova 100 breakfast team. He can be seen on Network Ten’s Before the Game during the AFL footy season, and on the highly successful light-entertain- ment program, Rove. And if that’s not enough, he can now also be seen on the new Channel 10 news enter- tainment program The 7PM Project.

His very first DVD, aptly titled Dave Hughes LIVE was released in September 2006 through Liberation Music. It quickly went on to go 7 times platinum.

The most powerful testimony to Dave’s talent is his enduring popularity with audiences. He has over the course of the last five years become one of the highest selling Australian comedy acts in the country. He hit the road in 2009, with his latest solo show offering, Dave Hughes is Handy. And now Liberation Music is proud to release the DVD of that show, Dave Hughes Is Handy. Featuring all brand new material, this new DVD cements Dave’s position at the top of the Australian comedy pantheon.

The DVD features a full length show recorded at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, along with bonus features including exclusive backstage footage and ‘At Home With The Hugheses’, an intimate and personal look at Dave’s family life in his Melbourne home.

"Hughes has become one of the most appealing, and most powerful, comics around." Sydney Morning Herald
"Dave Hughes is one of the funniest men in a city that has produced many of Australia’s funniest people." Sunday Telegraph, Sydney
"Hughes is skilled, appealing to all and always in control. Excellent." The Age, Melbourne

Dave Hughes Is Handy is released August 21
through Liberation Music

Filming started in Melbourne this week and the film is aimed to be released in April 2010.

Stay tuned for more!

Lou Sanz:

Hi guys,

If you're in Melbourne this Thursday night might be a good night to come down and show some support for the Skirt Network. Some local lady comics are being filmed as part of a story on women in comedy and the network.

There are a few skirts on as well as some other acts so it will be a good night!

It's 10 dollars, it starts at 8 and it's at Vibe Bar, 123 Smith st. Fitzroy.

Sounds pretty good, hey?
Website: http://www.amicinhand.com

Your line up includes...

Claire Hooper
Geraldine Hickey
Mat Kenneally
Xavier Michaelides
Mickey D
Lou Sanz and one or two more

I look forward to something with all four cast members. Can't wait!

Danny McGinlay, up-and-coming comedy guy and part-time superhero. Looking up Danny on the internet, phrases such as ‘likeable’, ‘hyperactive’ and ‘over-caffeinated’ come up, but more recent reviews classify him as a storyteller “with the ability to weave a rollicking yarn”. Certainly this is consistent with Danny’s view of his own career. Doing comedy since he was 16, he started out in Class Clowns (a national secondary school comedy competition and workshop, run by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival) and has come a long way from those early days. He quotes Jerry Seinfeld “Audiences will teach you what’s funny about you.”

As his career has evolved, he’s become more interested in telling stories through his comedy. His first shows had themes, but were largely based around telling gags in between cooking and superhero mythos (Kapow – 2005) which he found “not very satisfying.” But as he’s matured, he’s taken on themes with a broader canvas in Star Spangled Bender (2007) – a road trip through the US paralleled with it’s history; Coming Soon… (2008) – the story of his long-dead grandfather told through movie trailers and his latest festival show, Food Dude (2009) – cooking food in front of an audience for each stage of the World Health Organisation’s five stages of intoxication.

Aspiring to be a comedic storyteller with a naturalistic style of Billy Connelly, it is easy to see that he is getting there, as he warmly regales me with story after story of his life in London, New York City, opening for Danny Bhoy, doing a presidential-style debate as Superman, his almost career for Fox FM and the romantic pursuit of his long-term girlfriend. For a guy who started out in an arty school and went into comedy because he couldn’t play an instrument or follow a script, he’s certainly come a long way.

Playing across Australia, go to http://www.dannymcginlay.com/ to check out his dates!

A message from Felicity Ward, who is fundraising for her stay in Edinburgh...

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I'm having a fundraiser and a possible DVD filming. And here are the details...

FELICITY WARD'S UGLY AS A CHILD VARIETY SHOW IS TO FILMED FOR A DVD IN MELBOURNE THE NIGHT BEFORE SHE HEADS OFF TO THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL. TWO SHOWS. ONE NIGHT. HEAPS OF LAUGHS.

TUESDAY 21ST JULY!

TOFF IN TOWN - 2nd Floor, Curtin House, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria

EARLY SHOW: Doors open 6:30pm, 7pm Show
BOOK HERE: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=28420

LATE SHOW: Doors open 8:30pm, 9pm Show
BOOK HERE: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=28421

Please forward this on to as many people that you can, I would muchly appreciate it.

Ta

Felicity

Her events page on Facebook!

For this reason, I've put in a medley of Miss Slocombe at her best for last week's Funny Bits. Enjoy!

In a week of many celebrity deaths, hers most surely should not be missed. She was part of my comedy world while I was growing up - I will fondly miss her.

RIP Mollie.

A naked Bruno is on the front cover of this month's GQ magazine. Make sure you have a look at see what else is in this comedy issue!

While as a blog about comedy, I can't really put on anything about him directly. I thought I'd put on an example of the devotion and attention he inspired.

Weird Al Yankovic made his career on parodying Michael Jackson's music videos and mannerisms, so for this week's Funny Bits I give you Fat, a parody of Jackson's song Bad.

RIP Michael!

Enjoy the vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqz1ojIQTBk

I was most interested to hear Little Britain's Matt Lucas playing one of the roles. I've attached the picture so you can guess who he will be :)

Due out March 10, 2010