There’s a new reality TV show in the works featuring stand-up comedians working under pressure called “The Fast & the Funniest”. This new reality competition show is being developed by ABC.

If greenlighted, “Funniest” would debut on the network in late midseason or next summer. It joins ABC’s upcoming auto-competition series “Crash Course” and the Jamie Oliver weight-loss series among the network’s reality efforts in development.

The show follows a group of stand-up comedians as they travel cross-country competing in challenges and performances. The first three to reach the final destination will perform for a cash prize.

The reality TV project is produced by Page Hurwitz and Javier Winnik, who were involved with the defunct reality contest “Last Comic Standing.”

But “Funniest” could represent a more urgent take on the comic-competition series format made popular by “Standing,” which ran for several years on NBC until it was canceled in 2008.

The project’s order is contingent on casting with Page Hurwitz and Javier Winnik producing the show.

So, keep your eye’s peeled for more information. There going to be some new comedians get a pretty huge break if this reality TV gets off the ground and it is a hit.

I would suspect that there will be a call for tryouts — I just don’t know if it will be nationwide or only involve LA and New York comedians.

If you discover any information about this that I have not already posted on this blog, please let me know.

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.

One of the truly amazing stand-up comedians that I studied carefully when I was brand new in comedy has a part in the new documentary I Am Comic, directed by Jordan Brady (Slamdance premiere 2010). This funny man’s name is Tim Allen.

I’m sure that there is a generation of people that don’t even know that Tim Allen was stand-up comedian — and a hilarious one at that. But I will tell you this…

The first time I watched his stand-up comedy special Men Are Pigs (1990), I was laughing out loud. I was an instant fan and I very much look forward to seeing what Tim has to say in I Am Comic, which premieres on Jan 27, 2009 at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City Utah.

Here’s a video clip from Tim Allen’s stand-up comedy special Men Are Pigs:

Tim Allen’s hard-hitting and hilarious stand-up comedy material was the foundation for the hit TV sitcom Home Improvement, which made Tim a star. I remember watching that very first season of the show, hoping that this very funny and talented comedian had a hit on his hands.

One thing that has always stood out about Tim Allen’s stand-up comedy was his shear honesty. Another thing that made a lasting impression on me was the conversational style that Tim used to deliver his stand-up comedy material, as opposed to the “old school” joke, joke, joke approach.

In other words, Tim Allen’s comedy material was topic based, much like I show new comedians how to structure themselves for the stage in the Killer Stand-up Comedy System. I hope you check out the video above.

Needless to say, Tim went on to become a bonafide movie star, starring movies such as Wild Hogs, along with the Toy Story and Santa Clause franchises. As of this writing, Tim also appears in the future sequel Wild Hogs 2 (2011), among a host of other feature films in production.

As I have mentioned before, I have no idea how many of the bigger comedy stars will actually make the world premiere of I Am Comic at the Slamdance Film Festival.

But if I were to pick a group of comedy stars that I would like to see at that event…

I can assure you that comedian Tim Allen would be among those chosen for sure.

My excitement grows as the premiere of I Am Comic approaches!

Update: Here are just a few of the comedians featured in the stand-up comedy documentary I Am Comic who are confirmed to attend the Slamdance world premiere so far –Claudia Lonow, Nikki Glaser, April Macie, & Wayne Federman. And yes, the Professor (me) will be there too!

You can also follow updates on the movie at the I Am Comic Twitter page: http://twitter.com/iamcomicmovie.

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.

If you will remember awhile back…

I mentioned that my Comedy Evaluator Pro software was going to be featured in a stand-up comedy documentary (which is already causing a bit of controversy I might add – I have written about it here).

Well, the name of that documentary is called “I Am Comic”. The world première of  “I Am Comic” happens on January 27th at 8:00 pm at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, UT (near Salt Lake City).

Here’s what it says under Special Screenings on the Slamdance website:

“I Am Comic” – directed by Jordan Brady (US). World Premiere, 86 mins.

Slamdance alum Jordan Brady (Dil Scallion) returns to Slamdance with his documentary about Stand-up comedians revealing the art and occupational hazards of their craft. With Sarah Silverman, Tommy Davidson, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, Jeff Foxworthy and Phyllis Diller

As you can see, there are some top comedians featured in the documentary as well, some of which I was filmed doing performance evaluations on using Comedy Evaluator Pro.

Here’s what I do know…

I made the cut. I am in the documentary talking about my Comedy Evaluator Pro software.

And while I don’t have any idea what part of the filming made it into the documentary, I will tell you this for now…

I have been informed that in initial screenings, my scenes in “I Am Comic” have been described as controversial and somewhat polarizing.

Wow! My software must be one of those “occupational hazards” they are talking about…

Update: I just put up a hub page about about the documentary and some of the questions rising from my controversial scenes in the film. Click here to check it out.

So it looks like my small role in “I Am Comic” may cause a bit of a stir once it hits the streets.

That’s all I know at the moment. More as I know it!

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.