Friday Night: Sketchfest's Comedy Death-Ray

Scott Aukerman

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Comedy Death-Ray with Michael Ian Black, Dana Gould, Doug Benson, Natasha Leggero, Scott Aukerman and musical guest Aimee Mann
Friday January 16, 2010
Cobb's Comedy Club

Better Than: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Even without the adorable Michael Cera on the line-up (he had to cancel last minute), Sketchfest's sold out Comedy Death-Ray was a great variety show. Hosted by Scott Aukerman, it was a night with one common thread: great talent.

The stoner comic Doug Benson, from Super High Me, opened the show by admitting, "Sorry I didn't come over -- your text was so sexy I just rubbed one out." The pot smoking, TV watching, every man routine was as lovable as it was funny. Benson did an amazing bit about getting stoned prior to boarding airplanes and being outraged when the "peanut lady" (flight attendant) brought pretzels instead of peanuts.

Natasha Leggero

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Following Benson was Natasha Leggero, who is a regular on E's Chelsea Lately. Leggero confidently walked onto the stage with her long satin gloves and Forever 21 dress, and dramatically put her fur coat on the stool before saying, "Don't worry, it's a fake. Here on the tag, it says faux - oh wait, that says fox." Her biting humor, juxtaposed against her upscale city-girl routine made her considerably larger in life than she seems on the small screen.

After Leggero, Aukerman introduced a character who stumbled onto the stage playing a clueless San Francisco tourist. His improvisation was a little lost on the crowd. Luckily, the bit didn't last too long before Aimee Mann took the stage. Admittedly, the pairing took some of the comedic energy out of the night, but a musician with Mann's talent can play in almost any setting.