Celebrate Black History Month (and a little bit more) with live stand-up in Uptown Oakland, featuring rotating lineups of rising Black comedians alongside standout Bay Area pros and special guests. Each show features 4 to 5 comedians delivering a 70+ minute comedy show with credits including Cobb's Comedy Club, Punch Line SF, SF Sketchfest, Don't Tell Comedy, The Improv, San Francisco Comedy Competition, and more.
No matter your interest, there are choices aplenty this weekend: Miami City Ballet and Palm Beach Opera; the 20th annual African American Film Festival and 40th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival; comedians Hannibal Buress and Zarna Garg; Monster Jam and WWE's "Smackdown"; Terence Blanchard and Oigovision Superjam; Styx and Boy George; tributes to Johnny Cash and the Bee Gees; Riverwalk Chili Cook-off and Science of Chocolate.
"I don't know if it's that there were more comedies being made or people have started to realize that SXSW is a festival that really celebrates and can launch comedies. So, we really sparked a lot of them this year. They have a lot of dark sense of humor, a lot of ways to accept the sort of harsh world around us and still find light in it. I think that's in a lot of the films that we're playing."
(For many Americans, it's also Presidents Day Weekend, a federal holiday on Monday, plural to honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In Florida, the governor in January sidelined Lincoln and officially declared it Washington's Birthday Weekend, part of what Secretary of State Cord Byrd called a movement "to teach the next generation about the principles our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." To quote the great Teddy Riley: "No diggity.")
I was a smiley, happy child. I've had cerebral palsy since birth, so I've never known any other reality. At three years old I went to a disabled nursery connected to a disabled school, and I remember thinking, Why am I here? At the end of the day, the teacher brought my parents in and said, Rosie should be in a mainstream school.
Blue Oak Brewing Co has become a staple of the Bay Area. Blue Oak is notorious for their award winning beer, but did you know that Blue Oak also hosts an Incredible Stand-Up Comedy Show!? Once a month, in their event space The "Ales & Tales" Comedy Show takes place. This show consistently draws a good audience and has an underground following.
Happy snow day, DC! Have a snowball fight, indulge in frosty food deals, and then venture out to the theater. There are several new performances opening this week, such as Chez Joey and world premieres from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Plus, Ramy Youssef arrives at Warner Theatre to tell his hilarious clean jokes. Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend January 26-February 1
When it comes to building athletic strength and resilience, a well-known phrase captures the process: "no pain, no gain." That rhyming philosophy may apply to mental growth as much as muscle growth, according to research involving one of the world's most famous comedy clubs, Second City in Chicago. Yes, that Second City. In this case, researchers conducted a study with cooperation from Second City improv instructors, who ran classes by giving one of two possible sets of instructions to students.
Mesa Maguey, a contemporary agave bar and Oaxacan kitchen, has recently taken over the former Copper Spoon space in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood. Known for its mezcal cocktails and happy hour specials, the restaurant offers a menu featuring dishes like mole, tacos, enchiladas, soups, and ceviche. With a welcoming dining room and bar, Mesa Maguey has quickly gained attention for its flavorful, thoughtfully prepared plates. Mesa Maguey, 4031 Broadway (between 40th and 41st), Oakland.
