David Letterman News

 More than 165 films – from Oscar-nominated documentaries to narrative features, narrative short films, documentary short films and animated shorts – will highlight the 25thanniversary Sedona International Film Festival, Feb. 23-March 3.

NBC has named comedian Mike E. Winfield as the winner of its 15th annual StandUp NBC competition, the network's annual nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds. Winfield has been awarded a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and a headlining spot at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) annual convention where he will perform for talent bookers from across the country. He will also headline the regional semi-finalist showcases for the 2019 StandUp NBC competition.

The National Comedy Center will celebrate the centennial year of legendary comedy innovator Ernie Kovacs with the acquisition and display of never-before-seen material and rare artifacts courtesy of the comedian's estate. The acquisition and exhibit were announced today – on Ernie Kovacs' 100th birthday – by the National Comedy Center and Kovacs estate executive Josh Mills.

The National Comedy Center will celebrate the centennial year of legendary comedy innovator Ernie Kovacs with the acquisition and display of never-before-seen material and rare artifacts courtesy of the comedian's estate. The acquisition and exhibit were announced today - on Ernie Kovacs' 100th birthday - by the National Comedy Center and Kovacs estate executive Josh Mills.

David Yazbek, the Tony Award-winning composer of THE BAND'S VISIT and composer of the upcoming musical TOOTISIE, was just interviewed on this week's episode of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast, 'Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast!' Click here to listen to the full episode!

Actor Beau Baxter took the time to speak with us about how he got into acting, what it was like to make his Broadway debut, and The Onion Sports Network.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will host world-renowned klezmer group The Klezmatics in the Event Gallery - Bethel Woods' intimate, indoor concert space - on July 11th at 8:00 p.m. Reserved seating tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Friday, January 25th at 10:00 a.m. at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org

U.K. rockers Band of Skulls' fifth album, Love Is All You Love (produced by Richard X), is set for release on April 12 via So Recordings. Love Is All You Love follows 2016's critically lauded By Default, for which Consequence of Sound proclaimed, “Band of Skulls rip and roar…Think a savage hybrid of Modest Mouse and Jack White,” while The Independent furthered, “…each song packs a punch…they've always had a certain swagger in their music but here you can really feel the authority and confidence.” Fans can pre-orderLove Is All You Love here: http://BoS.lnk.to/LoveIsAllYouLove.

Crowned "Detroit's Queen of the Blues", Thornetta Davis comes to Festival Place, the place for blues, February 9, 2019.

Comedian, actor, and sleight of hand virtuoso John Carney, returns to North Coast Rep in his one-man show: Carney Magic, January 28th & 29th at North Coast Repertory Theatre.

Following a sold-out engagement in 2018, award-winning singer/songwriter Nellie McKay returns to Feinstein's at the Nikkoon Sunday, February 24 at 7 p.m. for an evening of songs and stories, including tracks from her seventh album, "Sister Orchid."

Popular radio host Brian Lehrer, of WNYC's daily call-in program 'The Brian Lehrer Show,' will appear in conversation with Randy Cohen as part of the popular 'Person Place Thing' series at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan today, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for members and $20 for the public. To reserve your seat, visit jccmanhattan.org or call 646.505.5708.

Irish Arts Center (IAC), a multidisciplinary center dedicated to bringing people of all backgrounds together through the excellence and dynamism of Irish arts and culture, announces its Spring 2019 season a cross-section of the exhilarating theater, music, dance, literature, art, and genre-defying performance coming from Ireland and Irish America, alongside educational events engaging participants with an array of rich traditions. With performances as wide-ranging as Margaret McAuliffe's acclaimed one-woman play The Humours of Bandon, Declan O'Rourke's epic song cycle Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine, and Paul Muldoon's performance adaptation of a 1773 Irish poem, IAC provides an intimate home for artists' boldest visions. As construction on IAC's landmark permanent new home in Hell's Kitchen takes place just beyond the organization's original location, IAC's vast ambition and accomplishment will be on full display, outside and in, throughout Spring 2019.

San Antonio-based alt R&B band of brothers, Idyll Green, share the first single from their forthcoming, debut EP, When Love Ends, Be The Water. The track, 'Moonlit Magic,' comes along with a self-directed video, showcasing the band's talent on both sides of the camera.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: The Avett Brothers, Molly Tuttle, and Sean McConnell. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome these three distinguished artists to the 2019 lineup:

GHOSTLIGHT DELUXE, an imprint of Ghostlight Records, has announced the release of For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole - the new album from the JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO - in physical, digital and streaming formats on Friday, February 8. Following high-profile collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney and Michael McDonald, Pizzarelli returns to his roots to honor his hero, the legendary jazz/pop vocalist and pianist Nat King Cole, whose centennial is being celebrated around the world this year with various concerts, books and recordings. For Centennial Reasons completes an epic trio of Pizzarelli albums saluting Cole, starting with Dear Mr. Cole, which helped put Pizzarelli on the map as an influential jazz guitarist and singer in 1994, and continuing with P.S. Mr. Cole, which cemented his legacy five years later. To pre-order the album, please visit the label HERE.

The McCallum Theatre welcomes the return of Jay Leno for two performances on Saturday, February 2, at 3:00pm and 8:00pm. See Jay do what he does best for these two special shows with one of the world's leading entertainers. Acclaimed TV late night show host, stand-up comedian, best-selling children's book author, in-demand corporate speaker, TV and movie voice-over artist, pioneering car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist - it's no wonder that Jay Leno is widely characterized as "the hardest working man in show business."

This 2019 season, the talent performing at The RRazz Room at Mizner Park Cultural Center is a diverse mix of world class artists. There is truly something for all tastes at the intimate and comfortable venue, where audiences have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite artists up close and personal.  There is nothing quite like the connection between the performers and their audience in an intimate setting like that of The RRazz Room at Mizner Park Cultural Center. 

It was flashback Friday on Twitter today as writer/director and former member of David Letterman's writers room, Rodney Rothman, shared a quick, obscure history lesson from the Late Night archives.

Popular radio host Brian Lehrer, of WNYC's daily call-in program 'The Brian Lehrer Show,' will appear in conversation with Randy Cohen as part of the popular 'Person Place Thing' series at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for members and $20 for the public. To reserve your seat, visit jccmanhattan.org or call 646.505.5708.