Makin' movies

As some of you faithful fans o’ Fearsome out there know, we work mostly as a live group. However, the lure of making videos has called to us like a siren. Many of you have seen Abby Go Dabby and Haunted Homes…and Such, but this fall we have been working on a few more. Thanks to the good folks at Comedy Net, a hilarious new place for comedy videos, some of our unseen projects will soon have a home.

This past Saturday we spent the afternoon at Mo Pitkins shooting our latest video about stand-up comics. We were very fortunate to get help from some great comedy people including Thom Woodley of The Burg, Mike Still, Nate Kushner and Dan Hopper of A Week of Kindness, Becky Yamamoto, Carolyn Castiglia (with a special appearance by her baby…child labor laws were not broken though!), Clayton Dowty, John Phillips of Trophy Dad, Pat Stango, Sean Crespo, and Carol Hartsell of Drink at Work. Thanks to all those talented people who came out. I’d tell you all about it, but I’m exhausted from all that linking. You’ll just have to wait until next year!

And speaking of next year, Fearsome will be getting back on the stage for an all new live show, most likely in March. Videos and live comedy…we can do it all!

Turkey remembered

So we're back from Thanksgiving...did you have a good one? We sure did:

Alex carved the turkey for the first time ever as his father broke his leg the night before. Alex has been waiting for the chance to carve for years, many thanks to God for the opportunity!

Chris hung out with his girlfriend where they "did it" for four days across two states (New York and Connecticut). They had Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle George's, a Greek place in Astoria. Did you know Astoria has at least one Greek restaurant?

Jaime enjoyed her dad's oyster stuffing. Unfortunately, Jaime's baby did not enjoy the oyster stuffing.

Katherine had a very British Thanksgiving that almost got nasty when her mum announced that she made Texas Potatoes instead of Mashed Potatoes this year. She also had the embarrassing pleasure of beating her parents at Scrabble with the word "Orgasm."*

Shayna made Brown Butter and Sage Mashed Potatoes and a fool of herself thanks to Johnny Walker Black. She also has absolutely no recollection of calling Katherine around 11pm that night and leaving a drunken message about losing the family poker game. She also used her leftover fried turkey oil as lubricant, or so her husband tells us. Oops!


* Not entirely true. Her mom put down the word "orgasm" and Katherine added "ic" at the end for the triple word score.**

** Not true at all.

Baby on board

We don't know if we'll be making sketch comedy history or not, but it's worth noting that our upcoming show will feature a six-month pregnant Jaime. Can sketch comedy be done with a bun in the oven? Can we still be funny? Will the baby pull focus? Will the baby make a cameo?

Of more importance, will Fearsome win The Sketch Comedy Royal Rumble? On Monday we go head to head with some of the best sketch groups in the city, including some of our faves Elephant Larry, Harvard Sailing Team, Derrick, Hammerkatz, and other talented groups. This is a great opportunity to see a variety of the great NYC sketch scene.

Sketch Comedy Royal Rumble
Monday, November 20th
7:30pm
NYU - Eisner and Lubin Auditorium
Kimmel Center - 4th Floor
Washington Square South

I think it's free admission as well. Call 212-998-4949 for more information.

Fearsome is going to Hollywood!

Or rather, Fearsome just returned from Hollywood. We were thrilled to make our L.A. debut at the L.A. Fest of Sketch Comedy. It was almost a full reunion for us as the recently departed Dan made the trek out from Arizona to join in. Unfortunately, a very pregnant Jaime could not make the trip, but she thoughtfully sent us a giant Abby Go treat:



Thanks Jaime, it was delicious!

The shows were great and were well received by enthusiastic audiences including many industry. We were even approached about starring in a reality series...about Fearsome!

Extra special thanks to Shay's friend Rob who not only did our tech but housed us at his beautiful home in Laurel Canyon, complete with a 25 person hot tub. He also didn't complain after one of us slammed his hand in a car door. I don't want to incriminate anyone, but I will say it wasn't Dan, Chris, Katherine or Shayna who did the slamming. And of course, it wasn't Jaime.

Now we're back in New York and working out details regarding all of our new business, all while creating new videos and sketches for you good people. It was a great trip...and we only had to sell one soul:



Enjoy that "beer," Chris!

So many changes, so little blogging

Hello, Fearsome friends.

We have been very delinquent in our blogging, and as you out there in the blogosphere know, a blog updated every few months is a pathetic little bloglette. We will do our best to bring you the Fearsome news faster and more frequently.

So here's what you missed over the past few months:

- Shayna Ferm is married! This ends the will they/won't they hook-up drama between Shayna and every member of Fearsome...or will it? Maybe now that she's married, Fearsome nights will get a little hotter. Steamy!

- Jaime is pregnant! It is Fearsome's baby, no doubt. Steamy!

- Dan has moved to Arizona! Dan Zalevsky, founding member, has taken off to the desert. Not coincidentally, Dan moved shortly after Jaime announced she was pregnant. Steamy!

- Fearsome can be seen on youtube! That's right, check out our funny here or this one right here. Steamy!

- Fearsome is going to L.A.! Fearsome will perform at the L.A. Fest of Sketch in late October. Steamy! But not humid, thankfully.

Undefeated!

Like Rocky Marciano and the 1972 Miami Dolphin, FEARSOME is undefeated in Sketch Fights at The PIT. And we will retire undefeated...or will we? This past weekend we took on the scrappy trio Cleanest River in America and squeaked out a 3-2 victory. For those of you keeping score, FEARSOME is 5-0 during our SketchFights run, which began way back in March of 2006. And now we graciously step down from the hot lights of the sketch comedy ring...or will we? Yes, we will. Many thanks to Alex at The PIT and of course, hilarious host Josh Callahan who deftly guided each show.

But don't worry, FEARSOME fans...just because we stepped off the mat doesn't mean we are slowing down. We have a big show planned for Saturday, August 26th at 11:00pm. More details will follow, but needless to say we will be going through a transition, and when we emerge out on the other side, NOT ALL OF US WILL BE THERE!

Three Times a Lady

Why last sketchfights was the best sketchfights I've ever seen.
By Katherine "Big Blogs" Bryant

1) Host With the Most, Josh, had a brush with catastrophe when his winged costume got caught in the giant fan he was using for effect. Alex Zalban performed an emergency unplug procedure.

2) The coin toss came up tails...again! What are odds of that!?

3) Trophy Dad did an entire sketch about a crowd's disgust with a weak willed child. Clowns included.

4) Trophy Dad did an entire sketch about a grandpa who tried everything to see his grandson naked.

5) Trophy dad tried everything to see us, Fearsome, naked.

6) Our set with Shayna's greatest stage moment...Emerging from a man-made butthole only to have fudge smeared all over her face. You know, to look like poo.


Thanks to all who attended and voted! We're looking forward to next month's battle against a soon to be announced competitor.

Dear Jaime

Dear Jaime,

We missed you Saturday night. It’s never a complete FEARSOME show without every member, and while we know you had a good excuse to miss the show (whatever it was), it’s not the same without you.

So to recap, we won our second Sketch Fights! We took on the entire Harvard Sailing Team, and it was a tough battle. Those kids had all the energy of a college a capella group, with none of the cheesiness. There had to be six hundred of them onstage with all the action taking place, and they were relentlessly funny. In the end, the audience tweaked slightly in our favor and two of the three judges voted for us, giving us a narrow 4-1 victory…in case you don’t remember (or in case you are not in fact Jaime reading this letter…and shame on you voyeurs) the audience gets a total of two votes, so even though it was close, we got both votes. Next month we’ll go back to defend our crown, but we need you there!

And that wasn’t the only victory of the night! Our very own Shayna Ferm won the prestigious and highly coveted Battle of the Funny Bands. Yep, she took home the shiny new trophy and mucho respect…well, she didn’t actually take it home, she raced from that theater to ours in a very busy evening. I hope Shay woke up the next morning and bought some lottery tickets.

And because good things happen in threes, FEARSOME is pleased to announce we will return to SketchFest NYC! The lineup has been announced, and very funny groups from all over the country will visit our humble city in June. Exciting.

Well Jaime, hope the syphilis and rabies cleared up, and we look forward to seeing you at rehearsal.

Love always,

The rest of FEARSOME

Saturday Night's Alright (For Fearsome)...

...get a little action in! This Saturday, April 22nd, will be the day FEARSOME attacks New York City...with comedy! Feel free to join us for any or all of it.

7:30pm - Our very own Shayna is a finalist in the BATTLE OF THE FUNNY BANDS. That's right, she made it through the semi-finals and now will compete against comedy songsters God's Pottery, Rob and Mark, and Cock Lorge. Be there and vote...for Shay!

Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction
Avenue A and 3rd Street
$10

11:00pm - FEARSOME will defend our crown in Sketch Fights, where two groups duke it out...the audience and celebrity judges decide who walks away the winner, and who just walks. Come check it out.

The PIT
154 W. 29th Street (between 6th and 7th Aves)
$8

After midnight...we're gonna shake yo' tamborine. Not literally, of course. But join us to celebrate Alex's birthday! That's right, it's Alex's birthday and he's writing this post in the third person. We'll be at the Triple Crown which is on 7th Ave between 28th and 29th Streets. See you there.

Scenes in a Mall

Our second show of the D.C. Comedy Fest was in a theater in a mall. No foolin'. We in FEARSOME had our doubts about performing in a mall, but you know what, mad props to The Comedy Spot for being one of the most professional venues we've worked. Here are a few reasons why Liz and Jim are the bomb:

- The space was well designed. Comfortable seating for the audience. A huge stage so the actors can roam about. A decent-sized dressing room and green room.

- They cared about what we were doing. We wanted a table, they found us a table. When we couldn't get the DVD player to work, they ran out and bought a universal remote. Hope they didn't have to go far...oh yeah, we were in a mall.

- They provided water, candy, and beer backstage...and we don't even have a rider in our contract!

After the royal treatment, we in FEARSOME almost feel guilty for leaving our poop backstage. Almost.

Taking Fearsome home

So FEARSOME is hitting the road for the first time this year! We're hitting 95 South (Whoot, There it is!) to the D.C. Comedy Festival, home to a pork barrel full of politicians, the Washington Nationals, and me mum and dad. That's right, I get to go home...and take a pocketful of FEARSOME with me. I can't wait to see my friends from high school, still stuck in the same home town and show them all the exciting things I've been doing since I left...like working in the phrase "scratchy pussy" into our new show. Ah, the kid is all grow'd up.

And if you or anyone you know is in the D.C. area this weekend, tell them to come say hi and we'll show them a good time like only FEARSOME can.

Friday, April 7th
9:00pm
Flashpoint Theater
916 G Street (9th and G)

FEARSOME will perform with two groups from Chicago (One Two Three and Chairs). Each group will perform a 30 minute set.

Saturday, April 8th
7:00pm
Comedy Spot
Ballston Mall – Third Floor
Arlington, VA

FEARSOME will perform again with Chicago’s own One Two Three
This time…a 40 minute set by each group!

All tickets are $15, and they are good for the entire evening, not just our show.

We Won!

So we won Sketchfights at the Pit last Saturday night. And I'd like to say that Olde English is super funny -- I LOVED them. So we are very honored to have taken the gold. Looks like we'll have to compete to hold on to the title in April. Awesome. It was a really fun night. I drank a lot of beers.

Thanks to Alex Zalben and Josh Callahan for making that shit happen.

SKETCHFIGHTS!!!

This Saturday night, March 10th, FEARSOME takes on the reigning champions, Olde English, in Sketchfights at The PIT. The competition is at 11pm and the audience and judges vote for the winner. Come out and show your support, y'all. Losing sucks. Winning rules!

Speaking of speaking of support, come on out next Tuesday night, March 14th, and support Shayna (that's me!) as she (I) co-hosts with Nick Turner and Dustin D'Addato in the 4th ever installment of thier comedy variety show "POKER NIGHT" at Ace of Clubs (Great Jones and Lafayette, underneath ACME). Special guests this week include . . .
Andrea Rosen
Liam McEneaney
Sean Crespo
and the awesome sketch group A Week of Kindness (www.aweekofkindness.com) on their 1 year anniversary!!!
Plus, don't forget that you will also be supporting Katherine Bryant, aka DJ Tanner!!!

Fearsome News

Hi all:
Our Fearsome vacation is over, and we've all climbed out of our little holes...with wider eyes, bushier tails and a verve for chasing animals smaller than us.

Here's some news from us:

1) Chris had a camera fed down his throat and into his stomach recently. It was determined that his stomach problems may have been caused by...a camera that was fed down his throat and into his stomach. They removed it and he's feeling much better now.

2) Jaime still lives in Connectticutt and I still can't spell it.

3) Shayna got engaged over Christmas, even though she's Jewish.

4) Dan's girlfriend is doing a cleansing diet where she eats nothing but a mixture of water, maple syrup, lemon and Cayenne Pepper.

5) Alex is brushing up his Mexican accent so he can please his girlfriend's parents.

6) And I am trying to teach my 7 month old niece how to walk. She's just not getting it.

Please check out Fearsome at Sketch fights next Saturday, at 11pm at the PIT!

Vacation, yo

F to the EARSOME is officially on vacation! Yeah, exhausted from our two months of once a week shows (eat that, Cal Ripken Jr.) we are excited to take two weeks off. I know Dan is going to Arizona. Chris is going too, in Dan's overhead luggage bag. As for me, south of the border. The U.S. border.

But have no fear...FEARSOME has been extended! Yep, we'll do three more Friday nights in January, on the 6th, 13th and 27th (eat that, Cal Ripken Jr.). If you haven't checked it out, make it your new years resolution.

Oh, and mad props to this guy.

nytheatre.com liked us!

Check our review from nytheatre.com at
http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fear2706.htm
This new show is a real wild ride and we are so happy that you all are enjoying it. Here's what they're saying . . .

"Their particular brand of sketch comedy cuts straight to the laughs. It’s like comedy for comedy’s sake. What they do very well is break down a joke into its parts and gradually push it to funnier and funnier places."-- Richard Hinojosa (nytheatre.com)

"With a flair for nimble wordplay, dirty songs and visual gags, they're one of the most physically confident sketch groups you're likely to see. And their new show "Fearsome...and such" makes the best use yet of that intuitive bravado." -- Carol Hartsell (Drinkatwork.com)

"An evening of comedy that manages to bow to the lowest common denominator in a most intelligent way." -- Shannon Paige (Uncoolkids.com)

"Smoking hot!" -- The Apiary (www.theapiary.org)

"The team performs some fantastic funny stuff at a frenetic pace that all connects together" -- (dead-frog.com)

We just happy you're showing up.

That's Blogtastic!

We at Fearsome are excited, thrilled and yes, a bit relieved, to have opened our show this past Friday to an enthusiastic sell-out crowd. Despite some technical flaws which often accompany an opening night(like a swordfight scene in which not 1 but 4 swords were broken) we are excited to continue our run, so come check us out, fools.

You don't have to take our word for it, though. Some reps from the blogger nation were in attendance, and check out what they have to say. Thanks to Uncool Kids and Drink at Work for their kind words, and check out some great photos and kind words at The Apiary (under November 7th).

FAERSOME: LATE NIGHT

I'm sitting here in my nighty, slipping Wild Turkey 101 like a lady should...with her lips. But this Wild Turkey (me) gets tamer as the ounces go down. (heaving sigh)

It's been a long week of work and rehearsals. Comedy ain't easy, and if the fellas down at the docks try to tell any different, they're clearly fucking carp behind boats when no one is looking.

Tomorrow...more comedy. Rehearsal for dinner. But on November 3rd, the madness stops and suddenly...IT'S SHOW TIME.

Fearsome in rehearsal

We are only 25 days away from the opening of our new show! It’s hard to believe Fearsome hasn’t had a theatrical run since May. Sure, we’ve enjoyed our summer of guesting at a variety of shows…SketchFest NYC at UCB, Ash Wednesday, Marooned on Skull Mountain, 2 performances at the 42nd Street Underground, The Shark Show, Hot Tub, The Dirtiest Sketch Competition at UCB (where we came in second place, thank you very much), our own benefit party at the West Bank Café, and the Best of the Best Sketch Fest in Portland to name them all, but there’s nothing like taking over a room and putting up an entire show. We literally have dozens of sketches and short videos in the mix, some are still only ideas and some are completely written and blocked. Regardless of the state of the material, we all know that is has to be ready by November 4th. See you then, and tell your friends. If you don’t have any friends, come to the show and we’ll be your friend.

Thoughts on Portland

Due to the overwhelming support of our fans and friends, we were able to enjoy our journey to Portland, Oregon, without having to pay for everything ourselves. That alone was the sweet icing on the comedy cake. It was an honor to be among sketch comedy geniuses from across the country, specifically Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Hey, where was Chicago? Anyway, the caliber of comedy was as top notch as it was different, and in addition to laughing constantly, I learned a heck of a lot:

* Portland is a beautiful city. It is a city, but feels like a small town.
* There is a distinctive difference between "East Coast" and "West Coast" sketch comedy. Generally, West Coast sketches tend to be longer, and trippier. East coast sketches tend to be shorter and dirtier. Plus, the East Coast has Jay-Z.
* The Subway meatball sub in Portland tastes EXACTLY like the one in New York.

I probably learned other things, but watching Madagascar on the return flight mysteriously erased my memory, returning me to a zen state.