Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!
This Sunday, September 30, you can get two-for-one tickets to our show – featuring Frank Conniff from “Mystery Science Theater 3000!” Just show up at the iO West box office prior to our show at 9, and show your valid TAP card or your Metro ticket, and provided tickets are available you can get two tickets for the low price of $5! And your tickets will get you into all shows at iO West that night – including “Deskpiece Nation,” featuring writers from “Conan”, at 10, and “Back to School,” a sketch show with lots of TS!W writers and performers, at 11!
You can only get this discount at the box office on Sunday, so please don’t call in advance or try to buy them online. And iO West has a full bar, so you need to be 21 or over to see a show on the Mainstage. Valet parking is available for $5 with validation.
And here’s a bonus: we have a very limited number of comps for this show – if you’d like one, please tweet at us at @topstoryweekly and if we haven’t run out we’ll add you to our comp list! (Maximum two comps per person).
So do your part to make sure that “Carmageddon 2” isn’t a disaster – play locally in Hollywood Sunday by heading over to iO West for Top Story! Weekly!
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:
Top Story! Weekly, the award-winning news-based sketch comedy show held every Sunday night at 9 at iO West, is looking for talented comedy writers to join its writing staff!
TS!W’s writing staff is responsible for putting together a collection of sketches for each Sunday’s show based upon the events of the previous seven days.
Requirements for staff members include:
1. Submitting two or more sketches each month (weekly submissions are welcomed!)
2. At least one week a month, attend the two production meetings: – Wednesday night at 8:30, a writers’ meeting where sketch ideas are pitched and developed – Thursday night at 8, a readthrough with the cast where all submitted sketches are read, a running order is selected and rewrites are assigned – Friday afternoon by 3pm, turn in rewrites to that week’s director
To apply: Email a sketch packet (3 sketches, topical/news-oriented preferred) to tswpackets@gmail.com
– This file must be a .pdf file, a .doc file or a .rtf file. – Email subject header should say (MY NAME) Sketch Packet
In the body of the email, please include your name, email, phone number, and availability, and a brief note about yourself and your experiences with comedy.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 16, 2012.
Even better, come see the show at iO West, every Sunday night at 9 pm. If you have any questions, or would like to request a comp to our show for, please email us at tswpackets@gmail.com
We’ve received nominations for Best in Sketch Comedy (we’re the only show in Los Angeles to be so recognized, and one of only two outside New York and Chicago!) and Best Comedy Song (for “Sad Christmas Songs,” with lyrics by me and music by Gregg Lopez! We’re even nominated in the latter category with Flight of the Conchords!
And other folks in the TS!W family were nominated as well:
– Our home venue, iO West, was nominated for Best Venue and Best Training Program!
– One of our head writers, Matt Manser, was nominated for Best in Stand-Up!
– Bro Squad 5, featuring our writer/segment co-producer Phil Ranta, was nominated for Best in Long Form!
– And one of our writers, Keith Saltojanes, was nominated for Best Instructor, his team English Speaking Moose was nominated for Best in Long Form, and his school ImprovLA was nominated for Best Training Program!
If you could take a moment and vote for us in categories #7 and #11, I’d really appreciate it! Just follow this link!
Mayor Villaraigosa negotiates the end of the “Occupy L.A.” protests the same week that Top Story! Weekly has Neil Garguilo (Principal Cox from MTV’s “Awkward” and iO West‘s Dr. God, and one of our regular cast members as well) in the cast? That makes it time to revisit one of our favorite recurring sketches – the telenovela with Los Angeles’ Mayor, “El Alcalde de la Pasion!!”
Are you a fan of the Onion, or of Conan? Then you won’t want to miss this! Suzanne Sena – the Onion News Network‘s Brooke Alvarez – and Josh Comers – writer for “Conan” – guest star in an all-new Top Story! Weekly – this Sunday night, April 17, at 9 at iO West!
And what better place to watch the Oscars than on Hollywood Boulevard itself? So if you don’t have a ticket to the Kodak, head about a mile east to iO West to watch the show on the big screen in the Mainstage starting at 5:30!! Then stick around after the show for an all-new Top Story! Weekly with special guest Steve Wright, followed by an all-new Deskpiece Nation featuring writers from “Conan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” iO West has a full bar (so it’s 21+ for Mainstage shows – bring your ID!) and will feature an Oscar night special – $5 Champagne splits. Plus iO West has valet parking right next door on Cosmo, so for just $5 with validation you won’t have to worry about all the restrictions that night!
You’ve seen Nicholas D’Agosto in movies like “Election” and “Fired Up” and on TV shows like “Heroes” and “The Office.” You can see him later this year starring in “Final Destination 5” and “From Prada to Nada” and in the new USA Network drama series “Eden.” And this Sunday, January 16 at 9, you can see him on the iO West Mainstage as he guest stars in an brand-new edition of LA’s best news-based sketch comedy show, Top Story! Weekly!
And if that’s not enough, our guest standup this week has appeared on shows like “The Late Late Show,” “Outsourced,” “Last Comic Standing,” “Comedy Central’s Premium Blend” and even “The Closer” – Tom Clark!
So don’t miss Nick, Tom and the rest of the Top Story! Weekly cast in an all-new show – named by CBS 2 in their “Best of Los Angeles” – based as always on the events of the past seven days!
This Sunday, July 18, at 9pm, the “Bon Temps” will roll at iO West, when Jim Parrack – Hoyt Fortenberry from HBO’s “True Blood” – guest stars in Top Story! Weekly!!! Don’t miss Jim as he joins the Top Story! Weekly cast for an all-new show based on the events of the previous seven days – plus special guest comedian Nick Rutherford!!!
You won’t want to miss this very special edition of Top Story! Weekly – if you want to buy your tickets in advance, you can do so here.
Mike Hughes' blog 
Watch “TS!W 720: Herb Koss’ 80th Birthday from Top Story! Weekly Episode 240: “Crimea River”!
March 13, 2014Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!
TS!W 720: HERB KOSS’ 80TH BIRTHDAY by Michael Hughes
Starring Brian Vestal (Herb Koss) and Phillip Wilburn (Phillip)
Directed by Michael Hughes
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Tags:60 Minutes, 80th Birthday, Amy Paffrath, Armando, Artemis Pebdani, Beer Shark Mice, Bennie Arthur, Blake Walker, Brent Pope, Brian Vestal, Christopher Biewer, Derek Reid, Grasie Mercedes, Herb Koss, I'm a Believer, iO West, Jared Nigro, Jen Cain, Jimmy Guidish, John Abbott, John Druska, Josh Rachford, Julia Wackenheim, Kipleigh Brown, Lauren Miller, Leo Margul, Markeia McCarty, Matt Moore, Matthew Harris, Michael Hughes, Micky Dolenz, Mike Besaw, Mike Hughes, Mitchel Baldwin, Monkees, Neil Garguilo, Opening Night: The Musical, Phillip Wilburn, Sean Cowhig, Stacy Rumaker, Tammie Smalls, The Amazing Race, Tommy Bechtold, Top Story! Weekly, TS!W 720, USS Rock n Roll
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