The Best Things We Saw At The Just For Laughs Festival

By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 18, 2013 10:20PM

Did you make it to the Just For Laughs Festival? We went, we laughed, we want to make sure you don't miss this stuff next time. These are the best things we saw at the festival that delivered us the heartiest belly laughs. We're lukewarm on this year's tactic of packing all of the shows in at Stage 773 in Lakeview. While it made for less traveling, the lobby got painfully crowded. At some of the shows, the crowd was less than enthusiastic, and we can't help but wonder if it's because they were tired from being herded like cattle. It was a great time, though. Check the Just For Laughs website for more info on the shows.

Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction
The title of this event alone had us laughing. In practice, it's even funnier. Hosted by Bryan Cook, the event challenges eight comedians to write up a filthy fan fiction passage and read it aloud. Four comedians prepare in advance; four comedians were challenged on the spot with about 20-30 minutes to write. On Friday, comedian Mike Burns slayed us with his take-down of Guy Fieri in a very special (raunchy) episode of Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Ben Kronberg claimed he misheard the assignment as "Repetitive Neurotic Flan Fiction," and delivered a spot-on impersonation of Woody Allen. And we'll never look at Family Matters the same way after Kyle Kinane said, "Yes, Steven, you did do that." Other assignments: Michelle Buteau did All In The Family; Ben Roy did What's Eating Gilbert Grape; Mike Stanley did Night Court, and Johnny Pemberton ruined Muppet Babies for us forever. The LA comedy show is now a podcast, and we're subscribing immediately. (—By Samantha Abernethy)

David Cross & Brian Posehn Review Schwa
David Cross and His Super Duper Pals brought plenty of LOLs to the Chicago Theater last Thursday, but anyone who’s left a forlorn reservation plea on the Schwa answering machine appreciated the comics’ take on Chicago cuisine. Posehn enacted their Schwa dining experience quoting Cross’ comparison of the food to “angel’s cum.” Cross later offered a slight revision, “I didn’t say it tasted like an angel was cumming in my mouth.” Posehn tweeted a photo of their meal, “Pork belly with fava beans and strawberries.” No word from Michael Carlson on any divine intervention in the kitchen. (—By Jessica Mlinaric)

John Hodgman In His Underwear
John Hodgman delivered a post-nonpocalypse show at Park West on Thursday to a glowing crowd. As is custom at his shows, he passed out two bottles of Malort, then one bottle of Letherbee's take on the spirit which a fan provided. He talked about watching Downton Abbey with his "cats," told stories about male friendship, and then, without leaving the stage, he changed into a frumpy dress to deliver an impersonation of Ayn Rand. Read our interview with Hodgman, then be sure to watch his first comedy special Ragnarok on Netflix on June 20. (—By Samantha Abernethy)

Artie Lange Plays Scrabble in a Mental Institution
Artie Lange did his best to appease Howard Stern Show fans Saturday night at Park West with tales of his days on the popular radio show. But the funniest moment was when he recounted playing scrabble in a mental institution during his recovery from a 2010 suicide attempt. (—Chuck Sudo)

Brendan Kelly Singing A Sad Song With Hilarious Results
No, Brendan Kelly is not a comedian. The Chicago musician known for his work with The Lawrence Arms and Slapstick joined "Dancing Around The Shit Fire With Kyle Kinane" on Friday and delivered a bit of storytelling and some tunes between sets from comedians Bryan Cook and Ben Roy, plus bits from the host Kinane. Kelly finished the show with a really sad song about cutting himself, which he said he wrote when he was 15. Something about the dark, sad song was hilarious, and with every emo line, the crowd was chuckling. (—By Samantha Abernethy)

Chelsea Peretti Not Making Period Jokes
After a pitch-perfect set, Chelsea Peretti proudly announced that she did not make any period jokes... then she launched into the perfect period joke. She imitates a man saying female comedians are always talking about their periods because men have such "refined tastes." But if men had periods, they'd be telling more "bleeding out my dick" jokes than fart jokes. Sigh... It's so much better when she says it. Read our Q&A with the writer/standup/actress for more insight. (—By Samantha Abernethy)

Samm Levine's Face When He Loses A Competition To Pete Holmes
We caught the Friday taping of the "Doug Loves Movies" podcast with Doug Benson, in which guests chit chat and answer some random movie trivia. The guests included Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Posehn, Samm Levine and Pete Holmes. The chemistry was perfect, and the five were just great friends having a great conversation. Holmes did his best to try and steal the show, even humping Nanjiani's leg with an E.T. doll at one point. Levine may have been our favorite guest, though. Regular listeners of the "Doug Loves Movies" podcast know the Freaks And Geeks star is uptight and he's often the only guest who tries to win and tries to stick to the rules of the game. What doesn't translate to the audio, though, is Levine's (aka Lil Wolverine) dramatic facial expressions of frustration as Holmes dances his obnoxiously undeserved victory dance. (—By Samantha Abernethy)