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Chicago Writer John Kramer interviews Chicago Comedian Shelly Gossman about Second City and her

SNL audition.

Shelly has recently become a Saturday Night Live Writer. Congratulations!

A BuzznewsTV Comedy Review Special Feature Presentation!

Special thanks to John Kramer!

See more of John HERE!

Click here for a total list of SNL Writers over 36 Seasons so far!

Enjoy!

August Comedy

Feature!

This August in Comedy on BuzznewsTV!

Featuring the works of Film Maker/Writer

JOHN KRAMER

Chicagoland Producer

John Kramer has a long-standing comedy career in Chicagoland receiving notoriety on CNN, FOX CHICAGO SUNDAY, The New York Times, and has even worked alongside comedy stars Jim Belushi, Chris Farley, and Tina Fey to name a few. 

John Kramer produces a variety of comedic material.

You can also see some comedy animations by John in a Buzz Cartoon & Animation search at the top of the page.

Enjoy. Stay tuned for another great episode next week.

Also Featuring

THE SONG A WEEK PROJECT

with

Matt Griffo & Andy Gailor

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Just under three years ago, I first proposed the idea of purchasing a cat to share my new apartment with, and several of my friends encouraged me to further investigate adoption over the pet shop route. The process for adopting my furry friend was one that I was new to, seeing that my family had always been pet store buyers. I made the decision to adopt two remarkable felines into my life. There was a fair amount of research that went into pre-pet owning, but the ultimate time buster was the actual hunt for that special pal. Once I had fully prepared myself mentally for a new pet, I started on my endeavor, searching through every shelter that housed within a hundred mile radius of me. I visited several of the adoption facilities more than once, going back to see cats I had grown fond of, before I made my final decision. All of the centers I saw were very nice, but three of the adoption places earned a special place in my heart.

1. Anderson Animal Shelter

This loving location was my most frequent spot, and my personal favorite. The Anderson building is tucked away down Route 31 in South Elgin. It may be a bit of a cruise for some, but enjoy the ride and prepare yourself for a cat room full of characters. Employees will be on your right to greet you as you walk in, and if you venture to the left you will find the cat room. Here, the cats exist in every crevice of the room: some are caged, while others aren't. Each cat has a name, and a distinct personality. When I use to go there, a big adult cat by the name of Darwin had earned himself the nickname "The Godfather", because...well, I'm sure you get it. If you wish to get closer with a caged kitty, the employees at the front will hand you mandatory brief paperwork, before helping you grow closer to a potential new friend.

Visit @ www.andersonanimalshelter.org 

2. Tree House Humane Society

This particular shelter has two branches: found in the Uptown and Bucktown neighborhoods of Chicago, and they focus solely on the adoption of cats. Both locations are cageless and offer their foster kitties a wide variety of play items, as well as what seems like a limitless amount of play room in comparison to most other places. Quick paperwork is filled out before entering the kitty wonderland. The Uptown location offers a wider variety of cats, as it is a bit larger in size. Although, the Bucktown spot is nice because the workers seem to spend a good amount of timing creating a personal bond with their adoptees. I felt no rush when I would stop by to see the Tree House cats, I could sit on the floor and interact with the crowd for as long as I pleased, (within business hours, obviously).

Visit @ www.treehouseanimals.org

3. PAWS Chicago

Finally, a no-kill adoption center! The first thing I noticed about this Chicago pet palace was the fresh feeling the interior pumped through me, everything presented itself cleanly and welcoming. Employees are behind the front desk, walking about, and showing adoptable animals in separate rooms throughout the building design; so when I pin-pointed a fuzzy face that I wanted to meet, it was easy to find a helper. As the other locations, PAWS also requires obligatory paperwork (done on one of their computers) before venturing into a room full of joy. I will admit, the paperwork took the longest here, but it showed me how much they cared about the animals they were helping. Cats and dogs are set up in various cageless rooms, ready to greet guests with cuddles and kisses. Everything down to the air at PAWS is genuine.

Visit @ www.pawschicago.org

If you have decided to adopt a lucky pet into your own life, I wish you a happy hunting! For some easy access viewing, visit www.petfinder.com, where shelters (including the three listed) post available animals online.

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Lotus are about to break ground in a way that no other rock band has done prior - they are plotting a tour this fall that truly allows their legion of fans to pay-what-they-want for tickets. The Pay-What-You-Want-Tour featuring Lotus is an eight night run of shows in western U.S. states, sponsored by Ticketweb, that lets the fans decide how much their show ticket will cost. At the $15.00 Pay-What-You-Want level or higher, fans receive free digital downloads of the band's two new EPs Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass, both to be released on October 6, 2009.

The Pay-What-You-Want dates are part of Lotus' larger Fall Tour, running from early-October through the end of the year. Big stops include performances at Denver's Fillmore, NYC's Terminal 5, Baltimore's Sonar, Chicago's Vic Theatre, and others. Lotus brings out several must-see opening acts for many of these shows, including Break Science feat Adam Dietch, The Egg (from London, UK), Big in Japan, and Big Gigantic. Don't miss a few special small shows: here's the scoop - two shows at NYC's Mercury Lounge are being bundled with the T-5 ticket, and the same offer is available for the Denver shows (to get into Quixotes, you must buy the Fillmore ticket).

Downloads of both new EPs will be bundled with advance ticket purchases for select Fall Tour dates including the three New York City shows, two Denver shows, both Boston shows and a few other shows to be determined.  The material on both Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass can be directly traced back to Lotus' 2008 full-length release, Hammerstrike. A number of songs were recorded that didn't find their way onto Hammerstrike (either they hadn't been finished by deadlines or they weren't coalescing with the sound of that project), but after finishing the album, Lotus decided to revisit these tracks, and the results are extraordinary. Feather on Wood is sunnier with a laid-back vibe, yet not afraid of big rock beauty, while Oil on Glass is darker in character, with more head-nodding tempos.

Listing of forthcoming Lotus tour dates (and who will be opening each show):

September 4    Bottom Line    Nagoya, JP    
September 5    Metamorphose Festival    Tokyo, JP
September 6    Drunkard's Stadium    Kashiwa, JP
September 18   Mercury Lounge    New York, NY
September 19    Mercury Lounge    New York, NY
October 2    Aces Lounge    Austin, TX
October 3    Aces Lounge    Austin, TX
__

PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT Dates (Oct 6-Oct 14)
October 6     The Roxy    Hollywood, CA          w/ Break Science ft  Adam Dietch                
October 7    The Independent    San Francisco, CA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 8    McDonald Theatre    Eugene, OR        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 9    The Showbox    Seattle, WA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 10    Crystal Ballroom    Portland, OR        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 11    The Nightlight    Bellingham, WA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 13    Knitting Factory     Boise, ID        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 14    Murray Theater    Salt Lake City, UT        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
__ __ __

October 15    Belly Up    Aspen, CO                
October 16    Quixotes    Denver, CO
October 17    The Fillmore    Denver, CO
October 20    Granada Theatre    Lawrence, KS        
October 21    The Old Rock House    St. Louis, MO        w/ The Egg
October 22    Slowdown    Omaha, NE        w/ The Egg
October 23    First Avenue    Minneapolis, MN        w/ The Egg
October 24    Turner Hall Ballroom    Milwaukee, WI        w/ The Egg
October 26    Copper Dragon    Carbondale, IL        w/ The Egg
October 27    Bluebird Nightclub    Bloomington, IN        w/ The Egg
October 28    Bogart's    Cincinnati, OH        w/ The Egg
October 29    House of Blues    Cleveland, OH        w/ The Egg
October 30    The Town Ballroom    Buffalo, NY          w/ The Egg
October 31    Sonar    Baltimore, MD        w/ Big In Japan & The Egg
November 4    Higher Ground    Burlington, VT        w/ The Egg
November 5    Paradise Rock Club    Boston, MA        w/ The Egg
November 6    Paradise Rock Club    Boston, MA        w/ The Egg
November 7    Revolution Hall    Troy, NY        
November 10    Is Venue    Charlottesville, VA        w/ Big Gigantic
November 11    Cat's Cradle    Carrboro, NC        w/ Big Gigantic
November 12    Variety Playhouse    Atlanta, GA        w/ Big Gigantic
November 13    Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival    Live Oak, FL             
November 14    Orange Peel    Asheville, NC        w/ Big Gigantic
November 27    Vic Theatre    Chicago, IL        
November 28    Terminal 5    New York, NY        

What critics have been saying about Lotus:

Lotus are about to break ground in a way that no other rock band has done prior - they are plotting a tour this fall that truly allows their legion of fans to pay-what-they-want for tickets. The Pay-What-You-Want-Tour featuring Lotus is an eight night run of shows in western U.S. states, sponsored by Ticketweb, that lets the fans decide how much their show ticket will cost. At the $15.00 Pay-What-You-Want level or higher, fans receive free digital downloads of the band's two new EPs Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass, both to be released on October 6, 2009.

The Pay-What-You-Want dates are part of Lotus' larger Fall Tour, running from early-October through the end of the year. Big stops include performances at Denver's Fillmore, NYC's Terminal 5, Baltimore's Sonar, Chicago's Vic Theatre, and others. Lotus brings out several must-see opening acts for many of these shows, including Break Science feat Adam Dietch, The Egg (from London, UK), Big in Japan, and Big Gigantic. Don't miss a few special small shows: here's the scoop - two shows at NYC's Mercury Lounge are being bundled with the T-5 ticket, and the same offer is available for the Denver shows (to get into Quixotes, you must buy the Fillmore ticket).

Downloads of both new EPs will be bundled with advance ticket purchases for select Fall Tour dates including the three New York City shows, two Denver shows, both Boston shows and a few other shows to be determined.  The material on both Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass can be directly traced back to Lotus' 2008 full-length release, Hammerstrike. A number of songs were recorded that didn't find their way onto Hammerstrike (either they hadn't been finished by deadlines or they weren't coalescing with the sound of that project), but after finishing the album, Lotus decided to revisit these tracks, and the results are extraordinary. Feather on Wood is sunnier with a laid-back vibe, yet not afraid of big rock beauty, while Oil on Glass is darker in character, with more head-nodding tempos.

Listing of forthcoming Lotus tour dates (and who will be opening each show):

September 4    Bottom Line    Nagoya, JP    
September 5    Metamorphose Festival    Tokyo, JP
September 6    Drunkard's Stadium    Kashiwa, JP
September 18   Mercury Lounge    New York, NY
September 19    Mercury Lounge    New York, NY
October 2    Aces Lounge    Austin, TX
October 3    Aces Lounge    Austin, TX
__

PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT Dates (Oct 6-Oct 14)
October 6     The Roxy    Hollywood, CA          w/ Break Science ft  Adam Dietch                
October 7    The Independent    San Francisco, CA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 8    McDonald Theatre    Eugene, OR        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 9    The Showbox    Seattle, WA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 10    Crystal Ballroom    Portland, OR        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 11    The Nightlight    Bellingham, WA        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 13    Knitting Factory     Boise, ID        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
October 14    Murray Theater    Salt Lake City, UT        w/ Break Science ft Adam Dietch
__ __ __

October 15    Belly Up    Aspen, CO                
October 16    Quixotes    Denver, CO
October 17    The Fillmore    Denver, CO
October 20    Granada Theatre    Lawrence, KS        
October 21    The Old Rock House    St. Louis, MO        w/ The Egg
October 22    Slowdown    Omaha, NE        w/ The Egg
October 23    First Avenue    Minneapolis, MN        w/ The Egg
October 24    Turner Hall Ballroom    Milwaukee, WI        w/ The Egg
October 26    Copper Dragon    Carbondale, IL        w/ The Egg
October 27    Bluebird Nightclub    Bloomington, IN        w/ The Egg
October 28    Bogart's    Cincinnati, OH        w/ The Egg
October 29    House of Blues    Cleveland, OH        w/ The Egg
October 30    The Town Ballroom    Buffalo, NY          w/ The Egg
October 31    Sonar    Baltimore, MD        w/ Big In Japan & The Egg
November 4    Higher Ground    Burlington, VT        w/ The Egg
November 5    Paradise Rock Club    Boston, MA        w/ The Egg
November 6    Paradise Rock Club    Boston, MA        w/ The Egg
November 7    Revolution Hall    Troy, NY        
November 10    Is Venue    Charlottesville, VA        w/ Big Gigantic
November 11    Cat's Cradle    Carrboro, NC        w/ Big Gigantic
November 12    Variety Playhouse    Atlanta, GA        w/ Big Gigantic
November 13    Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival    Live Oak, FL             
November 14    Orange Peel    Asheville, NC        w/ Big Gigantic
November 27    Vic Theatre    Chicago, IL        
November 28    Terminal 5    New York, NY        

What critics have been saying about Lotus: