Nashville-native nationally touring comic Keith Alberstadt continues to amaze and astound us with the quantity and quality of projects he’s working on. He is featured in “Stand Up 360” – a movie about New York stand up comedy, has been invited to the Great American Comedy Festival, and has been filmed for Byron Allen’s “comedy.tv”.

Keith recently wrote a guest article for Rooftop Comedy about the comedy.tv project:

It was a big surprise to get the call, especially since in my emails to the producers, I kept calling him Brian Allen. I felt like my mom, who calls comics things like Kathy Mandarin (Kathleen Madigan), Jack Jergensen (Jake Johannsen), and Bill Saguine (possibly Conan O’Brien).

The only bad thing about this whole experience was the timing. I got the invite Thursday last week and had to be in LA Sunday. A trip cross country, connecting in Detroit, sitting in the middle seat between two middle-aged women who laugh out loud at the in-flight movie “Bridal Wars”. . . All of these things are tolerable. What’s not is finding a reasonably-priced plane ticket with only two days notice.

The best rate I could find was $410 which I paid for with 10,000 shares of GM stock. But it was well worth it.

Forty-two comics doing six minutes each. Of course not everyone stuck to six minutes, because there’s still a mentality of “hey, I’m killing so that red light in the back of the room can suck it”. But overall it was amazing. Events like this are fun because it’s like a comedy convention. Comics from all over can catch up on what they’re doing, where they’ve been, and which comedy condos have been de-loused lately.

The Great American Comedy Festival takes place June 14-20 at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, Nebraska. Created as a tribute to the legacy of native son Johnny Carson, the festival’s competitors were booked by Late Show with David Letterman’s Eddie Brill. This year’s line-up features Keith along with 24 other fast-rising comics including Nashville’s own Jesse Case and friend of N’Sup Pat Dixon.

“Stand Up 360″ is a series of new big screen productions in theaters now. It’s hosted by Caroline Rhea and spotlights some of the best comics in New York City. Keith’s part of the series will be in theaters June 1-14. Visit www.Stand-Up360.com for more information and to purchase tickets while they last! Check your local listings for select theaters, dates & times of the limited engagement showings.

For more from Keith, visit KeithComedy.com.

Not too long ago, we heard “BET Comic View” was changing formats again and would be renamed “BET Gospel Comic View – A Time to Laugh” hosted by Gospel singer Vickie Winans.

We’ve just learned that one of the first comics selected to appear on the new show, is Nashville’s own Renard Hirsch! Mr. Hirsch says, “God is good y’all!!! Every since I started doing comedy everybody has been asking me ‘When are you going to be on Comic View?’ It looks like that time has finally arrived.”

Renard will tape for BET’s ‘A Time to Laugh’ in Atlanta this Saturday the 7th @ Turner Studios. If you are interested in being a part of the live studio audience send an email to timetolaugh09@gmail.com or call 404.885.4206.

Hirsch told NashvilleStandUp that he is excited and humbled by the opportunity. “I was sitting around the house getting text messages from some of the other comedians about who had already made the show. I was thinking to myself that I had a really great set at the auditions, but maybe I should have done some different jokes or something, then they called me the next day and I went through the roof! So I’m getting ready to go to Atlanta to represent for Tennessee and show the world that there are some more funny people in Nashville.”

Congratulations to Renard! Watch for him on BET soon. Until then, keep up with him at MySpace at: www.myspace.com/comedymanrh

Nashville’s own Keith Alberstadt walked into the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City Monday afternoon and taped his first appearance on “Late Show with David Letterman.” The episode will air on Friday, February 6th. Other guests include Dakota Fanning (Coraline) and musical group Beirut (EP, “March of the Zapotec”).
“The whole experience was surreal and amazing.” Keith told NashvilleStandUp from New York, “The entire crew and staff were incredibly hospitable and welcoming. I almost felt like Dakota Fanning’s entourage. My intro song was Brickhouse by the Commodores, in honor of the mighty Vanderbilt Commodores. I hope my alma mater appreciates my loyalty. If they don’t, then I will rescind the donations that I’m not already making.”
Keith grew up the son of a Vanderbilt professor and a craft artist. He worked local stages around Nashville, and toured the nation full-time for several years before moving to New York City. A regular performer for the U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Keith has been described as “absolutely hilarious” by Armed Forces Entertainment and “a hidden gem” by the Boston Globe. He’s also a contributing writer for Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, National Lampoon and has appeared multiple times on both CMT and “The Bob and Tom Radio Show”. Friday’s Late Show appearance marks his network television debut.
Keith says he had a ball. “It was cool to hear Paul and the band laugh during my set. One of those guys giggles like a school girl, but they meant well, so it’s all good.”
Watch Keith on CBS Friday night at 10:35 p.m. (Central). Until then, keep busy reading his columns and topical jokes on KeithComedy.com, listen to his podcast over at http://keithcomedy.comedypodcast.com/ (also on iTunes), and send Keith your congratulations on MySpace.
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Nashville’s own Nate Bargatze appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Tuesday, September 30th! Congratulations to Nate!

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Nashville-native, now New Yorker Keith Alberstadt (of KeithComedy.com) writes in with an update:
I have become a freelance writer for Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update”, been featured again on CNN Headline News, and performed for a few Navy bases in San Diego. I also blew a save for the Mets, but who didn’t?
Saturday Night Live and CNN HL
After getting Saturday Night Live to look at my joke writing, they asked me to join their freelance staff for “Weekend Update”. That’s the news portion of the show. Basically, I send them jokes every week and hope they use some. So make sure to watch SNL this season. Or at least Tivo it and watch it Monday after the kids go to school and you knock back a few cold ones.
Also, CNN Headline News re-ran the episode of “Not Just Another Cable News Show” that I was on, featuring the fads of the 80s and 90s. To watch my comments, click here. It’s 38 seconds of pure, hilarious genius.
Topical Humor Right Here People
To read my topical jokes for the month so far, click here.
Teaser: “Action figures of the Presidential candidates are now being sold online. It’s a crucial time for it too, since G.I. Joe is still deployed and the banks just foreclosed on the Barbie Dream House.”
You should also read about my latest trip to the mall in my latest column “The Name Game Challenge“. Teaser: Once in the mall, I had the chance to test Newton’s theory, which in this setting states “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction from a stuck-up Abercrombie sales girl”.
Comics On Duty Navy Tour and Upcoming Dates
I just returned from another great tour for Comics on Duty. This time, we hit three Navy bases around San Diego — El Centro, Naval Base San Diego (the winner of the most creative name category), and Cypress. Good times and much thanks!
Make sure to check out one of my shows coming up! I’m spending a lot of time in NYC, but I’ll be in Louisville, KY and New Castle, PA coming up.
View my whole tour schedule here. See you out there!
Thanks for all the continued support out there! See you on the road.
Sincerely,
Keith Alberstadt
keithcomedy.com
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