Showing titles in Entertainment & Performing Arts

Originally from Brooklyn, Shang, a Carnegie Mellon graduate and aspiring illustrator, began his comedy career on a dare when a friend bet him $50 to take the stage during open-mike at a local comedy club. Shang won the bet, caught the comedy bug, and quickly became an underground favorite with his dark, avant-garde, socio-political style.

Funny, funny, funny. For decades now Dick Grande (the king of raunchy) and his exotic-dancer wife, Virginia Ham, have been spreading the gospel of "Raunchy Songs" throughout the land. Now, with the release of their Raunchiest Holiday Songs, tunes like "All I Want For Xmas Is My Two Front Teats" and "My Inflatable Valentine" will soon fill the homes of America with ole-fashion' raunch.

Lisey's Story, Stephen King's most personal and powerful novel, explores wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love. In this special event, recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City, King is interviewed by Irish novelist John Connolly. Maria Tucci reads a selection from Lisey's Story.

The creator and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond dissects the art of comedy and the making of a sitcom classic. In television, where programs can premiere and disappear in the same week, Everybody Loves Raymond reigned as America's best-loved show for nine years with more than 17 million viewers. As the number-one sitcom, it received more than 70 Emmy nominations, including two wins for best comedy.

In this first volume of his diaries, Michael Palin tells for the first time how Monty Python emerged and triumphed. Perceptive and funny, it chronicles not only his struggle to find a niche in the world of television comedy, but also the extraordinary goings on of the many powerful personalities who coalesced to form the Python team.

If you're in the market for additional X-rated education, Watch It Sucker! guarantees ya got that comin'. You'll get plenty of tickles as La Wanda romps from one street corner to another, and up one alley and down the other. If you think you're an "A" student on "Streetology" now, after listening to this, you'll be surprised at all the new goodies you've learned.

Beware the frumious Bandersnatch...and here she is! Years of eating fire as the Bronze Fire Goddess have forged La Wanda's tongue into a dazzling white-hot weapon. Like a cat-o-nine tails she lashes at the square society about her with rare humor and insight, heavily laced with sex-symbolism and womanly wiles.

It all started one night when he visited a comedy club in Los Angeles. A comedian tried picking on Gilbert who was seated in the front. Bad move! After receiving a taste of his own medicine, the comedian backed off, and Gilbert was invited on stage to tell a joke and stole the show. He was asked back the following week. Silly Gil caught the comedy bug, and the rest is history.

Perhaps the ultimate in TV comedy madness and absurdity, this cult series, which began in 1969, inspired many of today's writers and performers. This audio programme features many of the legendary sketches, songs, and catchphrases, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Ministry of Silly Walks", "The Lumberjack Song", "And Now for Something Completely Different", and many more.

Here are four episodes of classic comedy from the days when the Civil Service had a sense of humour. The Men from the Ministry were the hilarious radio forerunners of TV's Yes Minister — bungling bureaucrats who bungled for 15 glorious years from 1962 to 1977.

On a lonely stretch of Welsh coastline, a fisherman is killed by a hideous creature from beneath the waves. When the Doctor and Rose arrive, they discover a village where the children are plagued by nightmares, and the nights are ruled by monsters. The villagers suspect that ancient industrialist Nathanial Morton is to blame, but the Doctor has suspicions of his own. Who are the ancient figures that sleep in the old priory? What are the monsters that prowl the woods after sunset?

Laylora, the Paradise Planet, is a world of breath-taking beauty, where peace-loving aboriginals live in harmony with their environment. Or do they? The Doctor and Rose arrive to find that the once-perfect eco-system is showing signs of failing. The paradise planet has become a death trap as terrifying creatures from ancient legends appear and stalk the land.

The TARDIS lands in 22nd-century Africa in the shadow of a dormant volcano. Agricultural teams are growing new foodstuffs in the baking soil to help feed the world's starving millions ¿ but the Doctor and Rose detect an alien signal somewhere close by. When a nightmare force starts surging along the dark volcanic tunnels, the Doctor realises an ancient trap has been sprung. But who was it meant for? And what is the secret of the eerie statues that stand at the heart of the volcano?

This BBC Radio 4 series explores the fascinating subject of human evolution, firstly by looking at the primary advantage mankind has over those poor saps, "The Animals": language. We explore the number of languages now in use (5,000 or so) and why the people of Lewisham don't seem to have chosen one as yet. Among other things, Professor Herring demonstrates his value-based translation machine, and we meet a man who thinks his bees are telling him about unsolved crimes.

Here are four of the best episodes of the comedy news show, including appearances by the late Linda Smith, as well as Simon Hoggart's final edition as chairman. Since 1977, BBC Radio 4's funniest and quirkiest game show has been answering questions and offering wit and wisdom on global happenings, national news, and, quite frankly, pathetic parochial events. Now you can enjoy the highlights of last year's news, distilled by the very best and wittiest panellists.

Two funny and smart women explore the myriad challenges women face today — at work, in parenting, in love, and in aging — and share lessons from their experiences. Arianna Huffington is a syndicated columnist and the author of 10 books, the most recent of which is On Becoming Fearless: Advice for Women. Nora Ephron's books include Heartburn. Her most recent book is I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.

Hear from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a man Time calls a "once-in-a-millennium scholar". Explore challenging questions, such as, "Are Jews a nation, a religion, an ethnic group, or a race?", "Do Jews have unique character traits?", "What does it mean to be the 'chosen' people?", "What will become of the Jewish people?" Rabbi Steinsaltz has written 58 books on the Talmud, Jewish mysticism, religious thought, sociology, historical biography, and philosophy.

Martin Short, one of today's most inventive and popular comic actors, is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and in the films The Three Amigos and The Father of the Bride. The creator of such memorable characters as Jiminy Glick, Ed Grimley, and Irving Cohen, Short returned to Broadway in the "alternate autobiography" Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Here he talks with Dick Cavett.

In this premiere episode, Jon Lovitz drops by and freaks out on club owner Jamie Masada. Dom Irrera tries to calm Jon down by telling him how great he is in those Subway commercials. Eventually, Dom gets distracted and thinks he's back in the 1940s when he finds out that Jay Davis and his smokin' hot girlfriend are in a celibate relationship.

Deborah Tannen, author of the best seller about women and men You Just Don't Understand, here tackles the mother-daughter relationship. She discusses ways to communicate with family members and improve your most passionate relationships. Tannen is also the author of I Only Say This Because I Love You, You're Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation, and That's Not What I Meant!. She is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University....