I'd say one reason to pay department store prices is to avoid the
deathly black circles all over your face...

A Cause for Comedy goes LIVE TONIGHT / NEW VIDEO

It all goes live tonight.

If you live in Los Angeles please come to the Improv and be a part of this amazing night. If you don't, please watch on-line (it's free to watch the live-stream, just donate a little...)

Tonight Causecast and I come together to honor the Creative Visions Foundation - a passionate LA non-profit dedicated to supporting "Creative Activists", people who use the power of art and media to make a positive change in this crazy world. We've got comedy and music (which is also funny), and all proceeds go right to the charity.

To that end, Causecast's Harmonie Tangonan put together a great new PSA talking about what Creative Activism means. Starring familiar faces from Causecast, CVF, and the AC4C comedians, we will be debuting the PSA at the show tonight.

But YOU get a sneak-peek HERE -->

http://www.causecast.org/videos/11239-creative-activist-mashup

So that's that, you've probably already gotten my 5,321 other emails and tweets about tonight so HERE ARE THE IMPORTANT LINKS!

Tonight @ the Improv

GET FUNNY, RAISE MONEY

MAIN PAGE: http://www.www.causecast.org/acauseforcomedy - TICKETS + LIVESTREAM
PROMO VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voClNRcVuIE
FLYER : http://www.benmorrison.org/flyers/c4c_poster_aug09.jpg
FACEBOOK INVITE: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=110009862001
PRESS RELEASE (via Ballantine's): http://www.ballantinesbiz.com/green/CVF_Laugh_080509.html

THANKS!

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A Cause for Comedy this Thursday - Giving back was never so funny.

Hello friends. As you know our next A Cause for Comedy is this Thursday LIVE from the Hollywood Improv. A Cause for Comedy is the first-ever comedy-benefit-series-for-a-cause, broadcast LIVE from the historic Hollywood Improv.

This month proceeds are going to benefit the Creative Visions Foundation - an amazing LA-based non-profit supporting "Creative Activists", people who use the power of art and media to make a positive change in the world. The founder of the charity, Kathy Eldon, will be in attendance and will be speaking too!

So please come out and be a part of this amazing night. The first two shows were AMAZING and this one's going to be the best yet. BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW (Only $15 bucks, and most of that goes right to the charity) - we WILL sell out.

On the off chance you can't make it out or don't live in LA, we're broadcasting the whole show LIVE and FREE on www.acauseforcomedy.org (we only ask that you make a small donation on-line).

THE LINEUP:
Ben Morrison (Punk'd, AC4C), Ben Gleib (Chelsea Lately), Erin Foley (Last Comic Standing), Eric Schwartz AKA Smooth-E (YouTube), Hugh Moore (Live at Gotham) and Adam Richmond (Carson Daly), with a live pre-show hosted by Nadine Rajabi (Showtime).

So that's that, HERE ARE THE IMPORTANT LINKS! I'll see you on Thursday @ the IMPROV - 7:30

MAIN PAGE: http://www.acauseforcomedy.org - Buy tickets, get directions, everything!
PROMO VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voClNRcVuIE
FLYER : http://www.benmorrison.org/flyers/c4c_poster_aug09.jpg
FACEBOOK INVITE: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=110009862001
PRESS RELEASE (via Ballantine's): http://www.ballantinesbiz.com/green/CVF_Laugh_080509.html

THANKS!

- Ben

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A Cause for Comedy - Thurs Aug 27th - Streaming live on the Huffington Post!

Hello Friends, I'm proud to announce our 3rd "A Cause for Comedy", broadcasting live from the Hollywood Improv on the Huffington Post. This month all net proceeds are going to benefit the Creative Visions foundation - a wonderful organization who helps "Creative Activists" change the world through art. A real moving story. More on them in a sec.

WATCH OUR AWESOME PROMO VIDEO ON YOUTUBE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voClNRcVuIE

FLYER : http://www.benmorrison.org/flyers/c4c_poster_aug09.jpg

the LINEUP:
Ben Morrison (Punk'd, AC4C), Ben Gleib (Chelsea Lately), Erin Foley (Last Comic Standing), Eric Schwartz AKA Smooth-E (YouTube), Hugh Moore (Live at Gotham) and Adam Richmond (Carson Daly), with a live pre-show hosted by Nadine Rajabi (Showtime).

And yes, this month, we're broadcasting the show LIVE on the Huffington Post! In our attempts to take this global Causecast has wheeled and deeled and AC4C will be streaming live on the #1 Newspaper on the internet! Stay tuned for details.

SO.

GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP!

Here's the Press Release with all pertinent info. Get funny. Raise money.

Los Ang eles (August 18, 2009) – Causecast and Ben Morrison are teaming up with Creative Visions Foundation to put together the 3rd and best ever A Cause for Comedy, and they want YOU to be a part of the show.

All you have to do is tell us what you think a Creative Activist is. Do you or someone you know use the arts and media to make a difference in our world? Grab your gas mask, your megaphone and head to your soapbox and tell us what a Creative Activist is.

When you're done with that, login at Causecast.org where you can upload a video, photos, or write a blog post. Make sure you tag it with "C4C" so they can find it.

Causecast will make a video mashup that will be shown on stage at A Cause for Comedy on Thursday, August 27th, 7:00 pm at the world-famous Hollywood Improv. Your message will be up there along side some of the biggest comedians, including Ben Morrison (Punk'd, AC4C), Ben Gleib (Chelsea Lately), Erin Foley (Last Comic Standing), Eric Schwartz AKA Smooth-E (YouTube), Hugh Moore (Live at Gotham) and Adam Richmond (Carson Daly), with a live pre-show hosted by Nadine Rajabi (Showtime).

So bust out that new iPhone 3GS, camcorder, webcam, picket sign, or even the trusty old pen and paper and let everyone know how you or someone you know is making a difference!

Let's not forget that you can come to the event too! Local Los Angeles residents are encouraged to buy tickets at the Improv website for $15. In addition to the $15 dollar ticket, there is a $100 ticket option, which will include a copy of The Journey Is The Destination signed by CVF founder Kathy Eldon. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from ticket sales go straight to CVF. For those unable to attend the event, Causecast will be live streaming the comedy show via our partners at Stickam and Huffington Post.

Show Information:

Date: August 27th
Start Time: 7:00 p.m.
End Time: 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15 standard or $100 ticket that includes the CVF book signed by Kathy!
Place: The Hollywood Improv 8162 Melrose Ave, Santa Monica, CA
For the official Cause for Comedy Poster, please click here

Invite:
http://www.ballantinesbiz.com/green/CVF_Laugh_Invite_080509.html

Official Page & Causecast Article: www.causecast.org/acauseforcomedy

Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110009862001&ref=ts

Buy Tickets At:
http://www.symfonee.com/Improv/hollywood/attractions/index.aspx

About Creative Visions Foundation (http://creativevisions.org/)
Creative Visions Foundation supports "Creative Activists", individuals who use the power of media and the arts to create positive change in the world. Creative Visions Foundation partners with creative activists through fiscal sponsorship, mentorship and outreach programs to develop, thrive and promote vital social change. Their network of creative activists inspires others to be the spark of change in communities all over the world.

The Creative Visions Foundation is inspired by the life of Dan Eldon, an artist, adventurer and activist killed in Somalia in 1993 while covering the conflict as a photojournalist for Reuters News Agency. He was 22. Launched by his mother, Kathy Eldon, a former journalist and filmmaker, and his sister, Amy Eldon Turteltaub, a documentary producer, CVF is a publicly supported 501(c)3 organization that supports "creative activists" like Dan - who use thought and imagination to catalyze positive change in our world.

About Causecast (http://www.causecast.org/)
Based on the understanding that all causes are inherently connected, we believe global change must be achieved through collaboration and individual action. Causecast is an online global community and social action network that connects, promotes and empowers individuals, businesses and nonprofits with resources and groundbreaking tools that transform interest into action, directly influencing positive change. By measuring our progress, we will have an increasingly large impact on the course of history.

For more information please contact:
Sarah Robarts
Ballantines PR
310-454-3080 (Office)
310-570-7355 (Cell)
Sarah@Ballantinespr.com
http://www.BallantinesPR.com

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San Fran...

Please, call me!

You can always tell...

Rubber Side Down Crohn's Doc in SF Thurs / Funny People's Pub article for Mutineer Mag

Hello inter-friends.

Sorry for being AWOL for so long, I've have had some ups and downs but always manage to level off on this here list.

So that having been said let's get down to it.

I'm going to be in San Fran all weekend, so if you're local, by all means email me @ ben@benmorrison.org and let's "kick it"

On Thursday I will be emceeing the US premiere of Rubber Side Down, a fantastic doc about two cyclists travelling from one end of Canada to another to raise awareness about Crohn's and Colitis. It's a truly inspiring project, and one I feel lucky to even be around. Please come - tix are cheap and the people are top-notch.

It's at the Cliff Bar Theaterat 6PM, and all tix and info can be had @

http://www.poweredbycommunity.org/cms/?q=show+times

(And a special thanks to my old friend and Chronie John Scott for bringing me in for this).

also

I have had an essay I wrote published in a national magazine, Mutineer. The article is called FUNNY PEOPLE'S PUB and it's a narrative look at my progression into comedy and alcohol in no particular order. I'm also on the cover, which you can see here -->

http://www.benmorrison.org/flyers/mutineer7_Page_01.jpg

And, just so you don't have to do any more clicking, I'm including the text of the essay in this email.

Happy reading people, and I expect to see all of you @ the Mutineer launch party at the end of the month.

(and if you wanna subscribe, and you do, here's the link --> http://www.mutineermagazine.com/subscribe.php)

I love you.

- Ben

----------------------------

FUNNY PEOPLE'S PUB

I suppose I should start by saying that I wasn't planning on becoming a stand-up comedian. I was going to theater school and got real drunk one night and apparently booked a gig. I guess I was sitting next to the booker for a comedy club, and although I don't remember how, I talked my way into stage-time before passing out in the bathroom. You think you do weird things when you're drunk.

ACT 1 – THE BOSTON

Located above an Irish Pub in the heart of NYU country, The Boston Comedy Club was often described as a crack-house-ski-lodge-with-jokes. A dingy horizontal room built around a small stage, The Boston had a long back couch and a motley bunch of aspiring young comedians drinking in the wings. Lined with the headshots of those wise enough to get out while they still could, The Boston was the de-facto spot to spend an evening scribbling out crappy jokes and talking smack by the back bar. Offering half-price drinks to its regulars, The Boston became a home-away-from-home as it was both the only stage that would take us and the only place we could actually afford to drink.

It was a great time to be 22. Nights ended with the sunrise over West 4th as the other comedians and I would rip each other's fetal jokes into the dawn. Ronin, the Irish bartender whose accent became more coherent the more Jameson you drank, laughed with us until morning and pointed us to our trains when it was time. Like most 22-year-olds, I was virtually immune to hangovers and would go to whatever work I had conned my way into with a smile. In fact, I even got a gig playing a drug-addicted teen in educational anti-drug theater, until they fired me for being too "in-character". I was good.

Seeking to get more stage time, I took over the Wednesday night show at The Boston and got the club to give my patrons four-dollar apple martinis. (Sex and the City had just come out and we hoped we might help the process). Getting the audience of NYU students and homeless vagrants nice and trashed, the Wednesday shows were some grade A mayhem. Once a gigantic recently-released-from-jail comedian went mental when they turned off his mic off at 2 AM. Stumbling into a rage he destroyed the club and threatened to kill everyone in it, except myself. Right after he left I bragged to a waitress that he had forgotten me, when of course he popped his head back in because he didn't forget me, and yes, I was also to be killed. We made up sometime later.

I miss The Boston because it represents a time in my life when I wasn't old enough to understand consequence; I partied and hit the stage simply for the love of those things. Now, if I've had a crap day I'm likely to drink to get me further away from the experience but back then I'd drink to get me closer - closer to understanding, closer to funny, and closer to the Montrose avenue L-Stop, which you'd have to be a little drunk for because that shuttle-bus only comes every thirty minutes. In the snow.

The Boston is closed now. Having moved away from New York years ago I look back at that time in my life with a cloudy nostalgia and a smile. Eight years later I'm still a comedian, and still a drinker, and I'm damn proud to say I didn't understand how much I loved either, until I found The Boston.

ACT II – THE ROAD

Now three years into stand-up, it was becoming increasingly clear that boozing at the Boston would only take me so far. Unless I made it out of the orphanage soon, I would run the risk of becoming yet another artifact on that long back wall. It was time to hit the road, the asphalt dream of limitless adventure and thirsty ears throughout the country. If it doesn't kill you, the road will harden you into the boozy humorist you dreamt about becoming after your first crappy set.

Freshly dumped by a vindictive Dutch girl, I bought a shady Honda off a shady Craigslist ad and set off for Kentucky. My first "circuit" started at Louisville's Comedy Caravan, and I was to follow up with a week of one-nighters on stages and in beds throughout the Ohio / Kentucky / Indiana area. The money was crap but I was starved for adventure. Little did I know how much awaited.

As it turns out, on the road, people really like to buy you drinks. As my fellow comedian Adam Richmond says, "When you're funny, people want to buy you drinks, and I, personally, have a free drinking problem." Following my first show at the Comedy Caravan I had a gaggle of locals extending fresh jack-and-cokes for my sipping pleasure. Back in New York no one bought me drinks, but here free drinks would appear in quick succession as the price of admission for middle-America's finest to ask questions to the big-city comedian : "Hey man you ever get mugged up in that city? No? You ever mugged someone? Want a drink?" "Hey man you buddies with Jerry Seinfeld? You are?" (I wasn't) "Want a fresh one?"

Drink after drink I was falling in love with the road. I celebrated on the Saturday show by sleeping with an overweight mom, recently separated from her husband because he tried to shoot her with a shotgun. I told this to Rich Ragains, the local I was performing with, to which he replied in a Kentucky drawl, "That's not too uncommon 'round these parts, she probably said something."

After doing my shows at the Comedy Caravan, I then put my liver to the test at Bear's Place in Bloomington, Indiana, which is famous for its four-shot opus: The Fuzzy Bear. Standing on stage I could see the legion of frat boys sipping from their bear-shaped goblets, and it was only when I began drinking them myself that I was able to deal with their constant heckling. Hell, two Fuzzy Bears in and I was an honorary alpha delta drinka and could swear I saw some of the geese painted on Bear's old-timey curtains take flight.

Say what you will about alcohol, you're gonna meet someone. I recently did a show in Florida and had the good fortune of having a guy called Boston Bob be my driver. Hailing from the south-end myself, Bob and I were immediately old friends and hit the town with Good Will Hunting force. By the end of the weekend photos of me in a Hooters outfit hit the internet. Because I put them there.

I think my good friend Ben Gleib put it best when he said "When we drink things get blurry, and blurry people look just like your friends look blurry, so it feels more like home." And that's the adventure. Being a comedian on the road is constant new-kid-syndrome, and you're funny. As soon as you're getting tired of high-school you blow town and by sunset you're the small-town hero of the kegger you're performing at. Not bad for a theater-major.

I had always known that alcohol was a great social lubricant, but on the road it's WD-40. Since that first tour I've gone on the road countless times and I'm convinced there's no better way to sip through our fun-loving country. Bourbon in Kentucky, beer in Colorado, Hooters in Florida – each place has its specialty and crappy jokes go with all of them. It's Kerouac meets Fear and Loathing.

If the road has shown me one thing, it's that no matter where you are, people are great when they're having a great time. With a laugh and a beer you can meet just about anyone. If you're kinda funny and up for an adventure, you'll see things you'll always remember. Even when you want to forget them.

ACT III – THE IMPROV

It's 10:45 on a Wednesday and I'm standing outside the Hollywood Improv. Dave Attell nervously paces next to me as he chain-smokes and goes over his set in his head. Mike and Reggie, the Improv's awesome door guys, take tickets with a smile as the line for the show stretches past the cigar-club a couple of doors down. The energy in the line is nuclear; word is Chapelle might drop by and I can hear people in line calling each other "bitches" already. Giving me a fist-bump and a hello, Mike peels open the rope and lets me in. I'm just hanging out tonight.

Opened in 1974 by Budd Freidman the Hollywood Improv has played home to comedy's superstars for the last 30 years. The vibe is electric but lacks LA pretension you can smell like Jersey cologne. "Where else can you stumble from a bar to work?" Freidman says. It's Cheers for comedians.

Back at the bar I sit down next to Daryl Wright, who I've known since the Boston. He's a skinny black comedian with great jokes and a slight stutter. No matter how much he drinks, he never seems drunk, but maybe that's because he's drinking all the time.

"Cheaper than cocaine" he says to me, tipping back another Bud Light Lime. "Sure is", I say. Eddie, the older of the two bartenders comes up to me and places a whiskey coke and bar-snacks in front of me. "Thanks Eddie." I say, popping bar-snacks into my mouth. I love Improv bar-snacks. My intestines do not.

In the hallway, Daryl and I can hear a comedian getting yelled at for bringing a fire-dancer on stage during his act without asking. I look at Daryl and he gives me a, "white boys are crazy look", and I nod back. Because we are.

The Improv is everything I love about being funny and not being in AA. The perfect blend of bar and stage, it has the familial feel of the Boston, without the chaos, and the adventure of the road, without the traveling. It's a place where everybody looks after you, even when you attempt to host the ten o'clock after an all-day pub-crawl. If Daryl is driving you home, you've had too much to drink.

Picking up my whiskey-coke, I head into the hallway leading to the showroom. On the way I pass a guy in a silver-body suit rapping with Craig Robinson, the big black guy from the Office. I met Craig a couple months ago when I stumbled into the empty showroom and he was playing piano. We sang about a bird, and it was good.

I step into a group of comics at the end of the hallway. Some talk smack, some look over their notebooks. A cute girl walks past us and our eyes turn in unison as if she has magnets in her pockets.

Scottie, the guy that runs the Wednesday shows comes up to me. "Hey man, we had a dropout, you wanna do a set?" I perk up. This has just become a work-night. A month ago I gave Scottie a framed portrait of a granny I found on the internet for his 30th birthday. This was him paying me back.

Setting my drink down, I try to shift from fun to focus; you never know who could be in the audience. "Every comic that hangs out there is hoping someone will drop out and they will either get a spot...or a movie deal." Says Iliza Schlesinger, winner of the most recent season of Last Comic Standing. She's living proof. A week ago, Budd Freidman himself was in the audience and pulled me aside to tell me that I was talented and "shouldn't say f*ck every other word". Apparently my language had been profane, and Budd Freidman pointing this out was as uncomfortable as my profanity had been. "TV clean." I tell myself, "8 mile."

But what to talk about? I pat my pocket to find I've forgotten my notebook, which means I'm gonna have to wing it. "Don't panic." I say to myself, "Just open your mouth and funny stuff will come out." Scottie pops his head around the corner. "You're next." He says. "Ross is getting off early". I peek my head into the showroom and see Jeff Ross ending a monster set in front of a packed house. He looks so goddamn calm. I wish I was that calm.

I slip through the double doors and set my drink on the console trying to think of something funny. "Don't put your drink above the mixer." The showroom manager says. I take it off. No time to banter, the host is back on stage and the second he says my name it's on. I make a set-list in my head. "Amsterdam, shrunk-to-a-gay, theater-school? No. Open with theater-school and run into Amsterdam, close with shrunk-to-a-gay. Don't talk too fast."

All of a sudden everyone's applauding. The host has said my name and I gotta move. Finishing my drink in a single gulp I put in on a random audience member's table as I walk to the stage. For some reason I flash back to when I got fired from doing anti-drug-theater, and I think I'll begin with that story. The crowd seems rowdy enough, I'm with good people.

Taking the mic off the stand, the whiskey and coke hits me with a gentle pat. I look over the faces of the people staring back at me and take a slow breath. I feel like I'm on the Moon. Moving into the center of the stage I place myself under the brightest center spot
and find myself smiling. I want to tell these people everything. I feel they want the same.

A guy in the front row sips an apple martini trying to avoid making eye contact with me. He's obviously self-conscious about drinking an apple martini and I think back to the Boston when it's all we had. "The man in the front row is uncomfortable because he's having an apple martini." I say to the audience. "But it's fine with me."

I reach down to his table and grab his drink. Holding it aloft for the crowd I take a big sip.
"Just fine indeed."

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Have we learned nothing Buzz ?

I am full. Of America.

So this morning I wake up and my girlfriend and I make protien shakes. Simple. Some whey protien, some ice, and some soy milk and a banana stolen from my roomate (sory Carl). 20 Minutes after drinking it i'm having a mini Crohn's attack - and for those of you who don't know what Crohn's is, it's my awesome intestinal disease that makes eating just about anything as much fun as food poisoning. The symptoms were all there - the joints on my knees began to throb (??) and I got the warm-rush of a miniature fever. After 2 decidedly unpleasant runs to the bathroom I return to relative normalcy back at my desk, but my o-ring is lit up like shock and awe and i feel like I've been through an ECW fight (that I won). I can't believe that my body is so capable of shutting down because of some chocolate-whey but hey It could always be worse. It could have been vanilla...

--

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