RIP Greg Giraldo

I first met Greg Giraldo when I was just starting out in stand-up, and was so impressed by how gracious and encouraging he was.  He’s been one of my favorite comedians, and I had always planned to reverse engineer his first Comedy Central Presents show — it was technically perfect.  Oh, and hilarious.  (and not as angry as his more recent work.)

What I also loved about this guy is that even though he nailed a near perfect score on the LSAT and a cush job with a swanky NYC law firm, after his first stand-up performance, he quit his job the following day to pursue what he loved.  RIP brother.

Night of a Thousand Stars

To be fair, it wasn’t a “thousand” stars, but more like two or three.  And, it didn’t happen all in one evening, but was spread out over almost a fortnight.  The celeb-fest kicked off when I had lunch with Spider-Man creator Stan Lee in Santa Monica.  He was attending a small storytelling conference in Santa Monica, where I was speaking on a panel about comedy film. 

The following Thursday back in NYC, I went with Daily Show producer Ian Berger to Carnegie Hall to see Ricky Gervais, as part of the New York Comedy Festival.   We went backstage after the show, and had the opportunity to critique Ricky’s act, and a few episodes of “The Office.”  Also met Todd Barry and Janeane Garofalo, who is a lot less political in person.  We hit the After Party at the Empire Hotel Rooftop bar.   I don’t think I’ve stayed out that late since senior prom.

Photo: the WSJ gang Rhona Seymour, Melissa Magdits, Nancy McDonald and Ian Berger. 

Then, Friday night, my wife and I attended the NYC premier of THAT EVENING SUN.  Hal Holbrook and Ray McKinnon were at the theater for a Q&A.   On Saturday night, I saw the film for the fourth time, and had drinks after with Scott Teems and Carrie Preston.