Watch “A Sterling Effort” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 248: “Clipped!”

I did a take on the Donald Sterling/Clippers matter by using the old “slice of life” approach. The pace is too slow in this scene, but I think you’ll get what I’m going for.

A STERLING EFFORT by Michael Hughes

Starring Mitchell Baldwin (Jerry), Lauren Miller (Gwen), Colin Contreary (Kevin) and Marc Anthony Samuel (Pete)

Directed by Michael Hughes

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Watch “The Koch-O-Nuts” From Top Story! Weekly Episode 244: “Stupid Retirement Tricks”!

With a story about how the Koch Brothers want to fund a right-wing improv troupe, and a cast full of talented improvisers who’d be fully able to appreciate every bad improv move I mocked, this one was a lot of fun to write and direct!

THE KOCH-O-NUTS by Michael Hughes

Starring Eileen Mary O’Connell (Eileen), Blake Hogue (Blake), Colin Contreary (Colin), Stacy Rumaker (Stacy), Sean Cowhig (Sean) and Derek Reid (Audience Member)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “Sixth Man” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 198: “It’s OK to Be Gay in the NBA!”

This one came out well. Obviously this past Sunday in Top Story! Weekly we had to hit the Jason Collins coming out story. But I wanted to do something more on the reaction, almost uniformly supportive. I thought about making it supportive to a ridiculous degree, and some really good acting all round made it pay off big time!

SIXTH MEN by Michael Hughes

Starring Derek Reid (Jason Collins), Sean Cowhig (Aaron Gray), Mitchel Baldwin (Mike Dunleavy Jr.), Colin Contreary (Jason Segel) and Brian Vestal (Delivery Man)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Top Story! Weekly’s Guide to the 10th Annual Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival!!

This Sunday, June 3rd, is the first night of the 10th Annual Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival at iO West! Top Story! Weekly is very excited to be taking part – we’ve put together a special show at a special time – Sunday June 3 at 10 (right after the Mad TV Reunion!). And joining us is one of the top comics in America – Bill Burr!!

Tickets are just $10, so make sure you get them now!! Not only will you see an awesome show, but you’ll help a great cause – part of the proceeds will go to the Chris Farley House, a residential sober living facility.

The festival runs from Sunday, June 3 till Saturday, June 9, with amazing shows and workshops every night. The cast of Top Story! Weekly will be hosting all week. And we’ll also be performing in other shows, and teaching workshops that you shouldn’t miss. Check them out after the jump:

Watch “The (Mostly) White Album” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 124: “Another One Bites the Dust”

That video with Herman Cain singing a parody of John Lennon’s “Imagine” with the lyrics changed to be about pizza(!) got us thinking: how would parodies of Beatles songs by the other Republican candidates sound?

THE (MOSTLY) WHITE ALBUM by Michael Hughes, Matt Manser, Phillip Wilburn and Jacob Harper

Starring Amy Paffrath (Amy), Hartley Sawyer (Hartley), Gregg Lopez (Mitt Romeny), Phillip Wilburn (Rick Perry), Kipleigh Brown (Michele Bachmann), , Tommy Bechtold (Newt Gingrich), Colin Contreary (Rick Santorum) and Derek Reid (Herman Cain)

Directed by Kristina Adelmeyer

Watch “A Day Which Will Live in Comedy” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 118: “Are You Ready for Some Jobs Speech?”

We do a show every Sunday night at iO West based on the news of the previous seven days. And when I saw that this past Sunday would be September 11, it posed a quandary: we couldn’t just ignore the anniversary, but anything we did would have to be tasteful and respectful while still being funny. And then I hit on it: make the sketch about the very difficulty we were having on doing a comedy show on the anniversary of a tragedy, only set it on the anniversary of another, analogous tragedy. I’m pretty proud of the results; I got more compliments on this sketch than on any I’ve written in a while.

A DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN COMEDY by Michael Hughes

Starring Matthew Harris (Neil), Brent Pope (Larry), Brian Vestal (Gus), Shannon Ayers (Rosie) and Colin Contreary (Pete)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Natalie Portman Meets Her “Black Swan” Dance Double – from Top Story! Weekly Episode 96: “I Pity the April Fools”

My second “Black Swan” sketch – here’s a link to the first – and I must say that I think this one is even better. When the controversy about Natalie Portman’s dance double broke I thought it might be a worthy subject for a sketch – and when my good friend Andy Trask happened to be in the TS!W cast that week, the option of having him play the dance double was just too great to pass up. This sketch really benefited from some great rewrites by Colin Contreary and Tom Repetto – the line about the mailbox is all Tom’s!

SWAN FAKE by Michael Hughes

Starring Kipleigh Brown (Natalie Portman), Phillip Wilburn (Darren Aronofsky), Colin Contreary (Benjamin Millepied) and Andy Trask (Jesse)

Directed by Tom Repetto