In lieu of filling Michael Jackson's pockets

October 24, 3:28 PMLA Comedy ExaminerAndrea Kittelson

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Comedy Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Michael Jackson

AP Photo/Dave Allocca, StarPix

If you are not yet out of work or in the process of foreclosing on your home or downsizing to a 2002, ready-to-disintegrate-but-still-OK-because-you-can-live-in-it Pontiac Aztek and you are wondering what to do with all that extra cash that’s cluttering up your life, there are plenty of things I might suggest.

Sure, you could go to the Michael Jackson movie This is It or buy the Michael Jackson movie companion CD This is It or trade a souvenir ticket for the concert series in London also called This is It.

You could visit the remnants of the Michael Jackson sand sculpture in Berlin, participate in the Michael Jackson dance event at LA Live, attend a Michael Jackson “Dancing with the Stars" Halloween party anywhere in the world or even purchase a set of Michael Jackson collector’s plates (ironic, I know, since he ate intravenously).

Indeed, you could do all that Michael Jackson stuff, whereby you redistribute your hard-earned, working- and middle-class wealth just like Robin Hood, except in reverse, or you could avoid participating in any of this marketing melee and deliver unto folks who arguably deserve it a dose of your earnestly procured pecuniary might.

Here are a few events you might consider attending in an attempt to support artists who are currently alive (and not being exploited by a fame-starved entourage of mostly family). These troubadours are making people laugh and in some cases break into a loveable, nerve-happy sweat:

Danny Bevins at the Hollywood Improv - Danny’s a wonderful mix of dark and light, hard and soft, yin and yang and, well, all other dualities. He’s like that out-of-prison uncle you just can’t wait to see, and then, after he stays a month and drinks all of your boxed white wine, can’t wait for him to leave. He’s like a meatloaf made of Kobe beef. An Army Sergeant who does ballet. Hilarious ballet. At least that’s my take. Danny premieres his new hour-long show tonight in LA. Anyone who’s everyone (and paradoxically no one - for example, me) will be there.

As White as O at the Lankershim Arts Center - This play is gorgeous and thoughtful and a feast for the cross-wired senses. It was carefully crafted by novelist and Pilates entrepreneur Stacy Sims and directed by “Lost’s” Sam Anderson. If you are a lover of comedy, drama, modern art and peculiar ailments (the subject is synesthesia), you will find this play to be both magenta and delicious.

A Big, Gay North Hollywood Wedding at the Crown City Theatre at St. Matthew's Church - While the wedding and reception are mock, the Champagne and improvised conversations are real. I had as much fun at this fake wedding as I have had at most real weddings. Partly because it’s gay and Gays are just plain fun, and partly because I didn’t have to zip myself into a sausage casing and hold my breath for nine and a half hours. If you like weddings that you’re not in, you will have a gas (surreptitious and demure, of course) at this one.

Black Dynamite at cinemas near you - This Blaxploitation spoof has all that you might expect, from gratuitous boob shots to out-of-focus wide-shots to winding and ridiculous chase scenes, and it promises giant, guttural guffaws. If you want to forget how much you owe Uncle Sam (or how much He owes you) or how you’re going to finish all those Honey-do projects on your spouse’s meandering list or who’s next in line to walk your Chihuahua that bites your neighbor who wears too much Chanel, this movie is absolutely for you. It will suspend all of your worries. Unless, of course, you are in the movie, in which case you better slap on your afro and holster and onion tears and run.

Groundlings Webisodes at groundlings.com - The Groundlings have long been known for fostering the talents of people like Will Ferrell, Lisa Kudrow and Cheryl Hines and for showcasing celebs like Michael Patrick King in their weekly live shows. Well, now they are also known for capturing all that talent (with the help of Sony’s Crackle) in ready-to-whoop Web sketches. Check out Groundlings humor without ever leaving your slippers (or your stupor).

Teresa Strasser’s blog “Exploiting My Baby" -  Teresa Strasser is probably best known for having hosted TV shows like “While You Were Out” or for co-hosting Adam Carolla’s morning radio show, which is now the "The Adam Carolla Podcast", but she is possibly most admired for her humorous essays. Her blog “Exploiting My Baby” shows off her striking wit and caustic charm, and it paves a path for creative women in Hollywood who feel no desire at all to apologize for being both human and smart.

And, speaking of Adam Carolla, Adam and his ilk are hosting "Laughs for Bald Bryan" on November 20th to raise money for Adam’s producer and friend Bryan Bishop who is bravely dealing with an inoperable brain tumor. Read Bryan's wife's blog "An Inconvenient Tumor."

To sum up: Yes, you could spend all of what you have saved (or not yet spent on electricity and food) on Michael Jackson crap so that his family can get richer, or you could explore some new and more tasteful territory.

Take that extra fiscal fuss and spread it around like righteous Jam.