Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 07-20-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
The ‘FUNATICAL’ Comedy tour makes its international debut at MuslimFest in Toronto, Canada. An African American Muslim, a Jewish Indian, and a Christian Arab promote peace through laughter.
Day: Sunday, July 24, 2011
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Main Stage of Mississagua’s Brand New Celebration Square
Cast: Ahmed Ahmed, ‘FUNATICAL’ Comedy Tour (Omar Regan, Mike Batayeh, Samson Koletkar), Waseem MoeMoney and Hamzah Moin. Hosted by CBC’s Muhammed Lila.
Tags: muslimfest, funatical comedy, interfaith comedy, ahmed ahmed, omar regan, mike batayeh, samson koletkar
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 05-31-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
Watch the Royal Family as they dance Punjabi in never-before-seen footage:
Tags: royal wedding, indian, punjabi dance
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 05-31-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy, Episodes
Introducing Beauty and the East TV’s new orginal episode: “Ahmed Ahmed: Just Like Us” where the actor and comedian dishes about his childhood, family, personal life, early career and new film “Just Like Us”.
Don’t miss “Just Like Us” when it premieres in NYC, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles on Friday, June 10th! For theaters, dates, and showtimes, visit http://www.justlikeusthemovie.com
Tags: ahmed ahmed, just like us the movie, axis of evil comedy, beauty and the east tv, samira atash
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 05-22-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
Comedian Dean Obeidallah offers President Obama advice for his speech on reaching out to the Arab world on CNN. Watch it here:
Tags: dean obeidallah, president obama, arab world
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 05-20-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
Salam Alaykum everybody!” Muslim American comedian Omar Regan shouts. “This is Funatical comedy tour! Everybody, we gonna take over the world!”
The name of the show says it all. “Funatical” makes fun of the stereotype of Muslims as religious fanatics. America is a nation of immigrants who have enriched this country’s culture, especially the arts, including comedy. Now Muslim American comics are getting into the act. Recently, Funatical brought a group of mostly Muslim comics to a theater in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Virginia.
Egyptian-born Ahmed Ahmed, one of the best known Muslim American comedians, was among them. “And all because my name is Ahmed Ahmed, I can’t even fly a kite these days,” he told the sold-out crowd that could barely stop laughing. Several years ago Ahmed went to the Middle East with two other Muslim comics on the “Axis of Evil” comedy tour. He also did a U.S. tour with a rabbi. “You know, I always think funny is funny,” he said after the Arlington show. “And if you can make people laugh and do it from a lighthearted point of view, it’s hard to hate someone with whom you laugh. That’s an old quote from my friend Rabbi Bob Alper, who’s a rabbi comedian.”
Many on the Funatical team say comedy transcends cultures. The show’s Afghan American director Samira Atash says that’s why not all the comedians in the show are Muslim. “When people come, they’re going to look at the comedians and go, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that there’s an Indian Jewish comedian or Iranian Jewish or that an Arab can be a Christian,” she said. “It makes it fun. And we are just getting the comedians together to kind of laugh at what makes us different instead of fighting over it.”
Sikh comic Paul Singh agrees. “There’s so much turmoil in the world,” he said. “People are killing each other, hating each other over their beliefs. And if we can make some comedy out of it, if we can make some laughter out of it, it really breaks down the barriers. It makes it easier to accept each other.”
Fans say joking about stereotypes makes it easier to deal with them. Laila Mokhiber works at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. “I guess you’ve just got to take things a little more lightly,” she says. “If you’re too heavy about these things. If you take it too seriously you’re always going to be fighting. You’re never going to really understand.”
Before coming to the Washington area, Funatical wowed audiences in Los Angeles. Producers are planning to take the show to other cities in North America - and eventually, to the Middle East.
Tags: funatical comedy, ahmed ahmed, axis of evil, omar regan, samira atash, paul singh, maria shehata, tehran soparvaz. arlington cinema drafthouse
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 04-22-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
FUNATICAL headliner Ahmed Ahmed talks about the comedy tour on James Zogby’s show “ViewPoint” (at 12:55)
Tags: ahmed ahmed, funatical comedy tour, viewpoint with james zogby
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 04-22-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
Sold out comedy tour draws diverse audience and receives international media coverage, with special events at the National Press Club and Georgetown University
Washington D.C. –From April 14th – 16th, 2011, the Washington D.C. metro area was hit by a comedy invasion that left hundreds in stitches as they witnessed Middle Eastern American comedians – who happen to be Muslim, Jewish and Christian – all perform for the first time together. The highly anticipated FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme’s “We Come in Peace” tour kicked off on Thursday at 1 pm at the National Press Club’s Bloomberg Room where comedians Ahmed Ahmed, Maria Shehata, Omar Regan and PlanetPix Media’s Mariam Atash Nawabi discussed “How Media & Entertainment Can Be Used As A Tool For Cultural Diplomacy, To Dispel Stereotypes & Show Similarities Among People of All Backgrounds”. The National Press Club’s Peter Hickman moderated the panel and took questions from Voice of America, Voice of America Iran, Al Hurra TV, Middle East Broadcasting, Palestine Note, Belief Net and more. FUNATICAL’s trip to Washington D.C. coincided with the 8th annual US-Islamic World Forum, which was held in the United States for the first time.
At 7:30 p.m. that evening, a sold-out performance at Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse brought together an audience from diverse races, faiths and cultures. The show began with a red carpet VIP meet & greet followed by Beauty and the East TV’s video coverage of FUNATICAL’s Los Angeles premiere and a short cartoon, starring the tour’s animated character ‘Mustlaufa Dajeeni’. The interfaith, intercultural line-up included host Tehran SoParvaz (African-American /Iranian; Laugh Factory, Warner Theater) and performers Said Durrah (Palestinian/Jordanian Muslim; Arabs Gone Wild), Paul Singh (Indian Sikh; Apollo Theater), Maria Shehata (Egyptian Christian; Comedy Central, Showtime), Omar Regan (African-American Muslim convert; Rush Hour 2), Matt Kazam (Jewish Iranian; ‘Last Comic Standing’, VH-1, TLC), and headliner Ahmed Ahmed (Egyptian Muslim; ‘Iron Man’, ‘You Don’t Mess With The Zohan’, ‘Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show’, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ‘Axis of Evil’ Comedy Tour, Comedy Central and Showtime). The show also marked PlanetPix Media’s debut release of “FUNATICAL: Live in Los Angeles” DVD which is now available for purchase on FUNATICAL’s website.
On Friday, April 15th, 2011 at 1:30 pm, Georgetown University hosted a special panel “The People’s Revolution in the Middle East: FUNATICAL Panel Discussion”. The event featured Georgetown Arab studies professor Adel Iskander, ‘FUNATICAL’ comedians Ahmed Ahmed, Maria Shehata and PlanetPix Media’s Mariam Atash Nawabi, as well as Ambassador Cynthia Schneider who served as moderator. This event was co-sponsored by the Berkley Center, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Mortara Center for International Studies, Department of Culture and Politics, Communication, Culture & Technology Program, and the Department of Performing Arts.
The tour wrapped with its final performance at the Ernst Theater in Annandale, Virginia on Saturday, April 16th at 8 pm. Heavy rains and a mini-tornado did not stop the crowds from standing at the door to get in. Line-up included Tehran SoParvaz, Said Durrah, Paul Singh, Maria Shehata, Omar Regan and Ahmed Ahmed. A FUNATICAL after-party was sponsored by JetSet Mafia at the Shadowroom Lounge in Washington D.C. where cast and crew celebrated the D.C. tour’s success.
FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme’s “We Come in Peace” is an interfaith, intercultural comedy tour that launched with a red carpet premiere December 2010 in Hollywood, CA and will continue in cities in the U.S. and around the world. The tour breaks stereotypes and bridges cultural gaps between Muslims, Jews and Christians and other faiths through laughter.
The tour is made possible by PlanetPix Media & Entertainment Group, a multicultural media, communications and entertainment production company that promotes cultural understanding and unity between “East and West”. Services include multicultural advertising, marketing, pr, diversity outreach, cultural advisory, translation, recruitment, entertainment & video production, event management, promotions, design & branding and talent management.
Public relations and promotions for the tour was spearheaded by PlanetPix Media. Media coverage includes The National Press Club, Huffington Post, Voice of America, Al Hurra TV, Belief Net, Bob Edwards Radio Show, Viewpoint with James Zogby, FEN Magazine, The Hoya, Stage Time Magazine, Global Rickshaw Radio, Palestine Note, and more. The Bill Press Radio Show, Beauty and the East TV, Global Rickshaw Radio and Kodoom were media supporters. Press coverage can be seen on the FUNATICAL website.
Co-sponsors of the Washington D.C. FUNATICAL tour included Staybridge Suites McLean, Artizan Sarai, Higher Work, Quick Lube MD. Advertisers included Smiles Dentist (Fairfax Corner), Travel Cruise & Tour, Shabazz Fruit Cola, Sadaf Halal Restaurant Rockville, Quick Lube MD, Silver Spoon Kabob, Turbulence Book, Samira Atash, Burraq Tax, Accounting, Travel & Tours, Religious to Damn, Beaini Financial Solutions. Promotional support was provided by JetSet Mafia, Metromix, NAAP, ADC.
The shows benefited Nooristan Foundation, a U.S. based non-profit that provides charitable support in Afghanistan.
Tags: Adel Iskander, ahmed ahmed, Al Hurra TV, Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse, Beauty and the East TV, Belief Net, Bob Edwards Radio Show, Cynthia Schneider, FEN Magazine, funatical: taking comedy to the extreme, Georgetown University, Global Rickshaw Radi, huffington post, JetSet Mafia, Kodoom, maria shehata, matt kazam, National Press Club, omar regan, Palestine Note, paul singh, planetpix media entertainment group, Said Durrah, Stage Time Magazine, Tehran SoParvaz, The Bill Press Radio Show, The Hoy
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 03-22-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
There are only two days left for FAN CLUB Members to get $5 off ANY TICKET to see FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme! when it comes to the Washington DC Metro Area on April 14th & 16th!
FUNATICAL is a hip & hilarious intercultural comedy tour that breaks stereotypes and bridges gaps between people of divese cultures and faiths. Comedians poke fun of culture and current events, which they lampoon with humor and satire. D.C. Metro tour features Ahmed Ahmed, Matt Kazam, Omar Regan, Maria Shehata, Tehran Ghasri, Paul Singh and Said Durrah.
To get discount code for the $5 OFF, visit http://www.funaticalcomedy.com and join the Fan Club today!
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 03-06-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy
http://www.funaticalcomedy.com
Ahmed Ahmed headlines FUNATICAL shows in D.C. metro area on April 14th & 16th, 2011. FUNATICAL is a hip & hilarious intercultural, interfaith comedy tour that breaks stereotypes and bridges gaps between Muslims, Jews, Christians (and other faiths) from the Middle East & South Asia. Comedians poke fun of culture and current events, which they lampoon with humor and satire. D.C. Metro tour features Ahmed Ahmed, Matt Kazam, Omar Regan, Maria Shehata, Tehran Ghasri, Paul Singh
Tags: "FUNATICAL Comedy" "We Come in Peace Tour" "Ahmed Ahmed" "Omar Regan" "Matt Kazam" "Maria Shehata" "Paul Singh" "Tehran Ghasri" "Beauty and the East TV" "Levantine Cultural Center" "middle eastern comedy" "arab american comedy" "muslim comedy" "jewish comedy" christian comedy "interfaith comedy" "muslim comedians" "arab comedians" "Iranian comedy" "Indian jewish comedian" "Iranian comedians" American muslim comedian
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 03-01-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Comedy, Episodes
http://www.funaticalcomedy.com Watch the red carpet premiere of ‘FUNATICAL’ Comey Tour in Los Angeles! FUNATICAL is a hip & hilarious intercultural, interfaith comedy tour that breaks stereotypes and bridges gaps between Muslims, Jews, Christians (and other faiths) from the Middle East & South Asia. Comedians poke fun of culture and current events, which they lampoon with humor and satire. Featuring Max Amini, Omar Regan, Samson Koletkar, Mike Batayeh, Noel Elgrably, Tissa Hami, Elham Jazab
http://www.funaticalcomedy.com
TICKETS FOR DC METRO SHOW FEATURING AHMED AHMED ON SALE NOW
Tags: FUNATICAL Comedy, We Come in Peace Tour, PlanetPix Media & Entertainment Group, Max Amini, Omar Regan, Samson Koletkar, Mike Batayeh, Noel Elgrably, Tissa Hami, Elham Jazab, Beauty and the East TV, Levantine Cultural Center, middle eastern comedy, arab american comedy, muslim comedy, jewish comedy, christian comedy, interfaith comedy, muslim comedians, arab comedians, Iranian comedy, Indian jewish comedian, Iranian comedians, American muslim comedian
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