HORROR, COMEDY, MUSIC, MORE: INDIE MEMPHIS ANNOUNCES FULL FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP

 Sept. 27, 2017

Documentaries about W.C. Handy and Furry Lewis, a preview of Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer's new comedy series and the restored version of Dario Argento's ultimate horror masterpiece "Suspiria" (1977) are among the attractions on tap for the 20th edition of the Indie Memphis Film Festival, set to take place Nov. 1-6 at various Downtown and Midtown venues.

WHY IT SUCKS AT STUDIO ON THE SQUARE

August 24, 2017

You know what sucks so hard about interviewing comedians? You'd think a group of self-identifying funny people who tell jokes for a living would be a lot of fun to talk to, but, in the immortal words of Steve Martin, "Noooooooooo!" The minute you get them on the record, they go all sincere. They want to show everybody their serious side and save all the good laughs and one-liners for the night of the big show. Take, for example Tommy Oler, a Memphis comic and co-founder of the popular "You Look Like" show. 

YOU LOOK LIKE A COVER STORY

May 27, 2017

So a gaggle of comedians from Memphis walk into a bar in Western Arkansas ... 
No, this isn't the beginning of a joke. It's an origin story for Memphis' most popular monthly, game-based comedy event. You Look Like — so named because the competition's mean-spirited jokes all begin with the words, "You look like" — recently tickled film and television director Craig Brewer's funny bone, so now it's being developed as a streaming digital series.

YOU LOOK LIKE MONEY: CRAIG BREWER TEAMS UP WITH MEMPHIS COMEDY

April 27, 2017

I can't remember when I've been in a happier, busier room. Everybody was grinning wide, and laughing, except for the writers — a who's who of local comedy talent — who looked grave and anxiety-ridden, which is how you could tell they were in the zone and having a blast. Memphis' man in Hollywood,Craig Brewer, has a plan. He wants to transform Katrina Coleman and Tommy Oler's You Look Like comedy show/podcast, into digital content for streaming providers. The popular game of competitive comic put-downs has fantastic web-sharing potential. It's exactly the kind of thing the internet was made for.

COMEDY COULD BE SERIOUS BUSINESS FOR CRAIG BREWER, MEMPHIS STANDUP COMMUNITY

April 27, 2017

Launched by local comics Katrina Coleman and Tommy Oler in 2015 on June 6 (in this case, the "D" in D-Day may suggest Don Rickles), the "You Look Like" comedy show takes place at the P&H Cafe at 1532 Madison on the third Saturday of every month.

MEMPHIS IS FUNNY

March 31, 2016

Nothing ever happens on a Tuesday night. Especially if it's a rain-drenched Tuesday night in downtown Memphis. The Brass Door on Madison manages a brisk bar business in spite of the weather, but the pub's downstairs music hall, where the big comedy show is scheduled to happen, is empty except for some old wooden library chairs and a lonely microphone.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF HECKLERS: ANOTHER SIDE OF MEMPHIS COMEDY 

March 31, 2016

Comedian Tommy Oler had barely started his set at RockHouse Live when the heckler started yelling at him. An older gentleman, later identified as one of Elvis' former attorneys, yelled, "You suck!" He wasn't a very good heckler. That and, "You still suck!" was pretty much all the material he had. Oler took it all in stride, suggesting that his comedy might improve while his critic wasn't getting any younger. 

YOU LOOK LIKE A COMEDY SHOW AT THE P&H  

August 20, 2015

First things first, I ask Tommy Oler to insult me. He is, after all, co-host along with Katrina Coleman of the monthly You Look Like a Comedy Show, where comedians are paired off in a tournament of insults.
"I have to see what you look like," he responds. 
Oler says that the You Look Like a Comedy Show is a natural for comedians. "We were all bullied, and we bullied," he says. He notes that when comedians get together, the shit's going to fly.