Maziar Jobrani

[Rasputin]

Well, it's come to this. After 4 weeks on the air it's not looking so good. Our ratings have been low and we've been getting clobbered by American Idol. So, the network has given us a shot to redeem ourselves. They have moved us to a new timeslot on Wednesday nights at 8:30pm (7:30central). We basically will have 3 weeks without Idol running against us (there is a God!) If we can build our numbers over these next weeks then we have a chance at coming back in the Fall for a second season. If not, then it's hasta la vista to the Knights. (I would've said 'it's goodnight to the Knights' but every punny journalist in the country is already waiting to use that one.)

So, I'm e-mailing you all to start the official 'Save the Knights Campaign.' What does that entail you ask? Will we be marching the streets or selling wristbands? No, I tell you, it's much easier than that. All you gotta do is to send out e-mails to all your friends to Tivo, watch, record, talk about, and spread the word about Knights. If you know anyone who has a Nielson box give me their paypal account and I'll convince them to watch myself. The point is to build a bit of steam. I'm thinking of going to the airport tomorrow to pick up foreigners who have no rides and bring them back to my house for free viewings. (I'll probably have to lie to them and tell them we're watching an episode of 'American Idol,' but whatever works man. This is war!)



If you feel inclined you can even go to abc.com and write them a quick note about how much you enjoy the show (Knights not Idol.) Here is the link contact ABC.

For anyone who's missed any shows you can go to abc.com and watch them online. There will also be a re-run of one of the episodes tonight (Tuesday) at 9:30pm (8:30 central) on ABC. If you don't have the time to catch up on the old shows, then here's the basic summary you'll need to be a Knights soldier:



Week 1 - We got Mick Jagger's key only to realize that his apartment also has a thumbprint sensor, a keypad and armed security guards.




Week 2 - We seduced Jagger's assistant and got the keypad code.



Week 3 - We were able to get her thumbprint and we took fighting courses to fight the guards.



Week 4 - Rockefeller Butts, our big black team member got a job with the security company that protects Jagger's apartment.



We've got some great guest spots coming up soon including Ray Romano, Keli Ripa and Screech from 'Saved by the Bell' - yes that Screech! I'm telling you things are heating up man! These next few episodes begin to really kick into high gear. Please spread the word if you can and drop ABC an e-mail or two.

It's not over yet - as John Belushi once said - 'Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?'

[Rasputin]

NOTES FROM THE ROAD

5 words - Bring it on Lion King!

This was the marquee from our Cleveland show. Right now I'm typing this e-mail from Chicago, but I started my day in Philadelphia and was on Al Jazeera yesterday in DC - I took a red eye from LA to get there. Friday I'll be back in Philly. I'm totally confused! One day this will all make sense, but for now my head is numb.

The second leg of our tour begins in Chicago on May 31st and ends on June 22nd in Las Vegas. I'm inviting anyone who's looking to get away to book a trip out there and celebrate this small victory with us at the Hard Rock Casino. I know I'll be putting my feet up and drinking a big Strawberry Daquiri at the pool in my Speedos. It'll be Vegas in the Summer so bring your chiseled bodies and plenty of sunblock. It's going to be off the hizzle.

Here's a list of our upcoming shows in the next few weeks:


May 31st - Chicago


June 2nd - Philly


June 5th - Taping Comics Unleashed in Los Angeles


June 7th - Dallas


June 15th - Sacramento


June 16th - Bay Area (Cupertino)


June 21st - Seatlle


June 22nd - Vegas


For more go to our website www.axisofevilcomedy.com.



Hope to see you out on the road and thanks for your continued support.

[okiddi]

kheili bahale....

nemidonam chandta az shoma ba adamhaye soedi ashanai darin vali ina kheili sardan va bi humor vali yeki az dosthaye man ke soedi bashe in axis of evil comedy ra roozi 2-3 bar mizare faghat be maz mikhande...mige az hame comedianhai ke inja hastan behtare....az soedi yek hamichin harfi kheilie...=)

vaghean damesh garm...karesh doroste....

[Rasputin]

For those who may not know, tell us a little about your background.

Maziar Jobrani: I was born in Iran and I grew up in the America. I am a comedian and actor. I have been doing standup and acting professionally for about 10 years.

SR: How was your experience growing up here?

MJ: I grew up in Marine County. Most of my friends were American and my ethnicity was never a huge issue. I really wanted to blend in. Your parents would have the thick accent and your food would smell so it was always a little embarrassing. It wasn’t until college that I started to really appreciate my culture. There were a few times during the hostage crisis and all that it bothered me but overall it was a very positive experience.

SR: Tell us about ABC’s Knights of Prosperity.

MJ: That was a lot of fun. It was an ABC show, just one seaons unforutnalye it got cancelled. The premise was that we were a group of guys who were down and out and wanted to subsidize their dreams by robbing Mick Jagger. I got to play an Indian cab driver, which was great being a big fan of Peter Sellars who played an Indian character in “The Party”. It was all shot on location in New York City. It was a lot of fun.

SR: Tell us about the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.

MJ: That is going really well. It involves three other comedians, two Palestinians, one Egyptian: Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader and Dean Obeidallah. We’ve been touring. Our special aired on Comedy Central, as the first all Middle Eastern Show on American television, kind of like the Blue Collar Comedy Tour but with Middle Easterners. When we started we had like 90% Middle Eastern audience and now its about 50-50, so it’s great.

SR: What message do you hope to give the audience with your work?

MJ: I hope that people open their eyes. There are lots of grays in the world. We want to show that Middle Easterners are good, normal people.

SR: Thanks for you time Maz.

MJ: Thanks for having me.

[Rasputin]

May the farce be with you
Living in a post-Sept. 11 world can be tough when you have Middle Eastern roots, especially if you're part of a comedy tour dubbed the "Axis of Evil."

Try to explain that to airport security.

But Aron Kader, Maz Jobrani and Ahmed Ahmed -the men behind this Middle Eastern-American comic outfit - can laugh with reckless abandon at the trials they've faced. Though it's usually Ahmed that gets the worst of it when he's at the airport.

He shares his name with a terrorist who uses "Ahmed" as one of many aliases, Kader said. It can often lead to mistaken identity.

"Ahmed has this joke that there's some terrorist out there going, 'I'm not this funny comedian!," Kader said in his best Middle Eastern impression by phone from California.

The American-born comics, of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, will perform at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Joining the show will be New York comedian Dean Obeidallah.

The humorous bunch said their profession, as well as their lives, changed after the terrorist attack on the nation six years ago - mainly for the better.

Kader, Jobrani and Ahmed were working together in Los Angeles for about eight months in a show called "Arabian Nights" when the attacks occurred. The terrorist event made many Americans distant to those of Middle Eastern descent, so the trio decided to approach stand-up comedy with caution.

"It was kind of a shock," said Kader, of 9/11. "We didn't know what to do on stage. The older comics started talking about it. We just backed off."

When they started performing their routines again, full of Middle Eastern humor, they were surprised at the audience's response.

"It was a whole different reaction - it was like night and day," said Kader, who was raised in Washington, D.C., by his Palestinian father and Mormon mother. "They were curious, interested. They wanted to know where we were coming from, what we thought about it."

For 37-year-old Obeidallah, a former lawyer turned comic, the experience of Sept. 11 helped him embrace his father's heritage.

"I went to bed on Sept. 10 a white guy and woke up Sept. 11 an Arab," the New Jersey native said by phone from New York.

He loves every aspect of his Middle Eastern and Italian background, right down to his name.

"People think it's hard to have a Muslim last name," Obeidallah said. "But I'm immune from identity theft."

Speaking of names, the comic said he was pleased to get a hurricane named after him this year - Hurricane Dean.

"I found myself rooting for the hurricane," he said. "Not that I wanted it to cause destruction, but to compete with my friends if they had a hurricane named after them."

You'll never hear a Middle Eastern name being used to identify a hurricane, especially if the storm was bound to cause havoc and destruction on American shores, Obeidallah said.

"Those kind of things are not going to help (Middle Eastern-Americans)," he joked.

After Sept. 11, Obeidallah found himself defending his heritage through stand-up comedy to those who stereotyped it.

"I just got tired of people talking," said the comedian, who worked with "Axis of Evil" during their "Arabian Nights" days. "It's just wrong. As an American you have a sense of what justice and fairness is. (Sept. 11) really changed my life."

The comics, whose idols include Richard Pryor and Jon Stewart, also share their thoughts on relationships, sports, immigration, social commentary and politics during their performance.

President George W. Bush's antics have been great fodder, they said.

As of last week, the comedy troupe was waiting to hear if the sketch comedy pilot,"The Watch List," was picked up by a television network. The show, which was co-created by Obeidallah and Max Brooks, would be the first of its kind to feature a Middle Eastern-American cast.

"It's something the American public is wanting to see," Kadar believes. "They're ready to laugh with us."

Of course, the Middle East has a long way to go in that respect, but it's slowly getting there, Kadar said.

"They do like comedy but it's not a very show-businessy type of place," he said of the region. "I think that they need to laugh."

What: Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, featuring Aron Kader, Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Dean Obeidallah and others

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa

Tickets: $28.25-$38.25

Information: (813) 229-7827 What: Axis of Evil Comedy Tour featuring Aron Kader, Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Dean Obeidallah and others.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa

Tickets: $28.25-$38.25

Information: (813) 229-7827

MAY THE FARCE BE WITH YOU

What: "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, through Nov. 18

Why: This quirky show, about a group of comedy writers behind the scenes of a 1950s variety show, sounds too hilarious to pass up. It's a comic farce based on Neil Simon's early career as a TV writer.

January, features writer, loves a quirky cast.

January Holmes

1

"Gem of the Ocean"

This play by August Wilson is the first of a 10-play cycle that chronicles the African-American experience through each decade of the 1900s. Plays through Oct. 7 at American Stage Theatre Company, St. Petersburg; $22-$35

2

"Menopause the Musical"

A hilarious look at "the change" through the eyes of four women at Bloomingdale's, with lyrics set to the tunes of 1960s and '70s rock songs. Plays through Sept. 30 at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa. Tickets: $39.50

The Herald recommends these stage productions:

LOOKING AHEAD

Here are two shows to look for this season:

1

"Noises Off"

This comedy takes a back stage look at the antics of an old English touring company. Opens Oct. 4 at Manatee Players, Bradenton. Tickets: $11-$23. Information: 748-5875.

2

"Second Time Around"

Lovers over 20 years ago meet again by chance and relive memories both sad and funny. Opens Oct. 11 at Island Players, Anna Maria. Tickets: $15. Information: 778-3755.

[moh3en]

barname hasho nadarid?

[Rasputin]

Obama No Muslim

Comedian Maz Jobrani


http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6238608067/maz

[Rasputin]

Jimmy Vestvood
Comic character by Maz Jobrani

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ESMkcZPmU8

[Rasputin]

[siamak]

[siamak]

[siamak]

Iranian Blind Date
Comedy by Maz Jobrani, Jahan Gere (waiter) and (?)

Part 1:

[Dariush]

this one is my favorite.