Times Square Gossip

  Double Happiness New York City comedian Turner Sparks spent twelve years living in Suzhou, China, a journey that ended with a marriage to his Chinese bride Ye Ye.  He and Ye Ye then spent two years staring at each other in a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment during a global pandemic. In “Double Happiness”, Sparks ties together stories from the mountains of China, to the apple orchards of Pennsylvania, to the streets of Brooklyn as he tells the tale of their truly unique, yet hilariously familiar pandemic. Double Happiness sees Turner come into his own as a premier comedic storyteller while maintaining the strong observational comedy muscle he displayed on his 2019 debut album Turner Sparks Live from the Friars Club.   On Double Happiness’ stand-out track “Career Day”, Turner hilariously claims that America is doing better with the pandemic than it was a year ago because “A year ago I got asked to speak at a high school career day while I was on unemployment”.  On “App...

Rose Matafeo LOS ANGELES — Starstruck, a brand new six-part comedy written, created by and starring 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Rose Matafeo has been commissioned by BBC Three and HBO Max and is an Avalon Television production. Starstruck will follow twenty-something Rose (Rose Matafeo), a millennial in London, juggling two dead-end jobs and navigating the awkward morning-after when she discovers the complications of accidentally sleeping with a movie star. As well as being broadcast on BBC Three in the UK, HBO Max will be the streaming partner for the series in the US. “The BBC have been so supportive of this project from the get-go and to be able to get this show in front of American audiences at the same time via HBO Max is truly exciting,” says Rose Matafeo. “I’m thrilled we get to make it, otherwise it would’ve technically just been a creepy fan fiction script that I submitted to the national broadcaster. The team we’ve brought together for this series are...

Felicia Madison Laughing Affairs, founded by comedian Felicia Madison, presented Funny Business, a panel discussion for female comedians, before a packed house at New York City’s legendary Friars Club. Funny Business offered female comedians insider tips on managing the business side of their careers. “The goal is to help female comedians navigate a complicated and male-dominated field,” says Felicia Madison, who moderated the discussion. The event’s six panelists are leaders in the comedy community, and included: Tovah Silberman, a comedy booking agent at the Gersh Agency whose projects have been featured in the New York Times, Village Voice, Time Out, and New York Magazine among many other publications. Jessica Pilot, a talent booker who has produced television for NBC, PBS, and Comedy Central, among many others, and is currently serving as a talent producers and booker for CBS and an upcoming Netflix talk show. Cait Taylor Cait Taylor of Bril...

Wendy Williams LIPSHTICK – THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND-UP celebrated its world-premiere at The Venetian Las Vegas, with headliner Wendy Williams. The media maven packed The Sands Showroom with a sold-out house in her first-ever stand-up performance. In true Las Vegas style, the evening kicked off with a red carpet and Champagne reception. After posing for photos the TV personality took the stage and dived deep into her personal life including family, life, love and how she feels about her upcoming 50th birthday. "My jokes aren't really jokes, they are humorous takes on serious things that have happened in my life and I feel if I have been through things other people have been through things too,” said Williams. "I am pleasantly happy that people clapped their way through my life stories." John Caparella, president and COO of The Venetian, The Palazzo and Sands Expo, surprised Wendy with a birthday cake to celebrate her 50th birthday. ...

Heather McDonald And Loni Love Comediennes Heather McDonald and Loni Love performed at a special preview of The Venetian Las Vegas’ LIPSHTICK: THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND-UP at Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro in Los Angeles. Legendary comic Jon Lovitz took the stage to introduce Heather and get the crowd excited. Jon joked about how about how excluded he felt by not being included in the female-only comedy series, which kicks off July 11 with Wendy Williams at The Venetian Las Vegas’ Sands Showroom. He spoke very highly of several of the comediennes that will be performing throughout the series including Loni and Heather, Whitney Cummings, Rita Rudner, Lisa Lampanelli, Joy Behar, Iliza Schleshinger, Wendy Liebman, Caroline Rhea, and more. “I’m a huge supporter of female comics and these ladies are very talented,” he shared with the audience.

**** THE TIM ALLEN INTERVIEW **** Tim Allen In AARP As a comedian best known for playing the everyman, Tim Allen is surprisingly introspective. In an exclusive interview with AARP The Magazine, the Golden Globe® winner discusses his fresh outlook on marriage and family, as well as his career successes. Allen also touches on his sobriety, losing his father at a young age, and other personal struggles from which his accessible brand of comedy was born. Allen is currently headlining a stand-up act at The Venetian in Las Vegas through the beginning of November. On 14 years of sobriety:  “Seeing the worst parts of my behavior helped me to understand the better parts. So while I’m still more anxious than I want to be most of the time, I’m far less anxious than I used to be.” “I was doing comedy clubs, concerts, movies and TV, and didn’t ever realize how fatigued I was or how much I was missing in my life.” On his thoughtful new presence...