After his last two highly rated specials and multi-platinum selling albums, Dane Cook reinvented his act and took it to the stage in front of 400 people at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood.

Whether you are a fan or not, Dane is one of the biggest stand-up comedians of this generation. And though he’s been in a handful of high-profile movies the past few years, 2009 is the year he promises to “replant the flag” of stand-up comedy he had established years ago.

And this time he does it all in a much more intimate setting — his home club, the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles — than he did on his last two releases; 2007’s album Rough Around the Edges and 2006’s HBO special and DVD Vicious Circle were both recorded at arenas, proving he doesn’t necessarily need a raucous crowd of 15,000 to prove he’s funny.

The material on Isolated Incident helps reassert Cook’s position as a masterful entertainer, deft storyteller and just plain engaging. But more importantly, it establishes him as a versatile comedian who’s unafraid to dip — however lightly — into politics, the relatively recent death of his parents and the hordes of faceless message board posters who seem to hate the fact that he exists.

This intimate show was performed in a nightclub atmosphere where Dane shared the audience’s energy in a real-time performance, without a safety net.

Here, he showcases a darker and more personal set with cutting edge material that pushes the envelope. The double-digipak contains a full-length CD of his best new material plus a DVD documenting the making of the album. (more…)

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.

I know there are some super talented comedians who frequent this blog. And I’m here to tell you that…

If one of your goals is to get a spot on Comedy Central, VH1 or any other TV network that showcases comedians, you need a sizable subscriber list of fans.

And if you think your MySpace or Facebook page is enough, I will be the first to tell you that those social networking sites are simply not enough. In the “bigger” picture, they count for squat.

One need only look to household name comedians like Dane Cook or Jeff Dunham to understand why these performers carry so much weight in the entertainment game. Read the rest of this entry

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.

I have written before about the importance of audience seating when it comes to laughter generation in a stand-up comedy show.

Well, now I have visible proof of just how critical it really is.

Related Offsite Article: How Audience Dynamics Directly Impact Comedy Performance Levels

I want you to take a look at this YouTube video of Killer Stand-up comedian Khulani Malone and please note not only the laughter levels he attained, but also know that there were only twenty audience members in the room (plus 10 other comedians): Read the rest of this entry

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.