Axis of Evil Comedy Tour

Last updated

The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour is a comedy tour featuring four Middle Eastern comedians and special guest comedians. The tour's name is derived from a speech by US President George W. Bush which designated Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as the "axis of evil". [1] The tour started on 11 November 2005. [2] [3] The group jokes about their culture along with being Middle Eastern in America. [2] [3] All of the comedians state that their lives changed considerably with 9/11, with one member, Egyptian American Ahmed Ahmed, whose name matches the alias used by an Osama bin Laden henchman, noting that he is frequently stopped by airport immigration officials on suspicion of terrorism – including a 12-hour stint in a jail in Las Vegas. [3] On 10 March 2007, they were given their own Comedy Central special. [3] The group broke up in 2011.

Contents

The group's current-events sense of humor has attracted media attention. They have been interviewed by CNN, NPR, The New York Times , and Time , among others. They toured in several Middle East countries with Showtime Arabia. King Abdullah II of Jordan has attended their show in Jordan and has conveyed his appreciation of their work.

Background

The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour was founded by standup comedian Ahmed Ahmed, to use jokes to combat post-9/11 prejudice in the United States. Along with Ahmed, Maz Jobrani and Aron Kader had their own personal accounts of racist experiences that they have undergone within the United States, and used these stories as material for the comedy tour. Ahmed Ahmed, the Egyptian American founder of the group, believed that post-9/11 standup material should be tested in the Middle East before traveling anywhere else. Before the group had even been formed, Ahmed had been hired to perform a private fundraiser in Dubai to benefit Palestinian medical students. This led to the tour he called the "Axis of Evil Tour", in which he along with comics Maz Jobrani and Aron Kader traveled the United States with the aim to stop stereotyping and prejudice towards Middle Easterners through a comedic approach.

Jamil Abu-Wardeh, the producer of the Axis of Evil, brought the tour back to its origin, the Middle East. There, the comedy tour gained two additional members, Nemr Abou Nassar and Wonho Chung. Chung was known especially for his ability to present the material in Arabic, despite having a Korean descent. His ability to speak in Arabic and other languages, as well as his charisma, made him a notable addition to the tour. Nassar performed in five sold-out shows, during each of which his performance received a standing ovation. The tour featured performances in Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon, Bahrain, and other Arab countries. According to The New York Times, the result was a success, beginning with the selling out of numerous performances from the first one at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University.

Main members

National originNameNationality group
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Ahmed Ahmed Egyptian American
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran Maz Jobrani Iranian American
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine Aron Kader Palestinian American
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine Dean Obeidallah Palestinian American

Guest members

National originNameNationality group
Flag of Korea (1899).svg  Korea Won Ho Chung Korean Jordanian
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba Carlos Leon Cuban American
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon Nick Youssef Lebanese American
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria Helen Maalik Syrian American

DVD release

After airing on Comedy Central, [4] the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour was released on DVD as a studio special by Image Entertainment on 3 April 2007. [5] It was directed by Primetime Emmy nominee Michael Simon [6] and featured the tour's four main comedians: Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader, Maz Jobrani, and Dean Obeidallah, as well as fellow actress and stand-up comedian Loni Love as Airport Security. [7] The unrated DVD has a run time of 86 minutes and includes special features such as outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage. [5] The DVD was also released in Sweden on 15 November 2008. [7]

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 83%, based on 490 reviews, averaging at 3.9/5. [8] IMDb, another review aggregator that assigns a weighted mean rating, calculated an average score of 7.9/10, based on 397 reviews. [7]

The special can be accessed through Amazon [5] and Netflix. [9]

Media reports

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axis of evil</span> American term for "sponsors of terrorism"

The phrase "axis of evil" was first used by U.S. President George W. Bush and originally referred to Iran, Ba'athist Iraq, and North Korea. It was used in Bush's State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, less than five months after the September 11 attacks and almost a year before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and often repeated throughout his presidency. He used it to describe foreign governments that, during his administration, allegedly sponsored terrorism and sought weapons of mass destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Obeidallah</span> American journalist and comedian

Dean Obeidallah is an American lawyer, comedian, and journalist. He is the host of SiriusXM Progress' The Dean Obeidallah Show and a frequent contributor to CNN, The Daily Beast, and MSNBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maz Jobrani</span> American comedian and actor (born 1972)

Maziyar Jobrani, better known as Maz Jobrani, is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in numerous films, television shows, including Better Off Ted, on radio, and in comedy clubs. His filmography includes roles in The Interpreter, Friday After Next, Dragonfly, and Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero. He appeared as a regular character on the 2017 CBS sitcom Superior Donuts. He had been an advisory board member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Ahmed</span> Egyptian actor and comedian

Ahmed Ahmed, is an Egyptian-American actor and comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aron Kader</span> American comedian (born 1974)

Aron Kader is an American comedian.

Play 99.5 previously known as Play 99.6 is an English-language music radio station in Jordan. Founded in 2004 the station is part of the Modern Media Company. The station plays English songs from around the world using the Top 40 model as well as broadcasting celebrity interviews. According to Ipsos, Play 99.5 has the widest reach of English radio in Jordan. Its listeners are between 15–30 years old. Play 99.5 is headquartered in Amman, Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maysoon Zayid</span> American actress

Maysoon Zayid is an American actress and comedian. Of Palestinian descent, she is known as one of America's first Muslim women comedians.

Shaher "Ronnie" Khalil is an American stand-up comedian and actor of Egyptian descent. He has headlined across four continents, toured the United States as a guest performer with the “Axis of Evil”, performed with “Arabs Gone Wild” and taped two “Friday Night Live” Showtime Comedy specials in Dubai, including “Minorities Rule” and “New World Order”, both were shown across 14 countries in the Middle East. Ronnie has performed in sold-out shows across the Middle East and was part of the first-ever Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival in Jordan, as well as numerous other comedy festivals including the New York Underground, NY Arab-American, South Beach, Los Angeles and Boston Comedy Festivals. He was also twice invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival's "Just for Pitching." Ronnie has been featured on sketches for “Conan O'Brien”, ABC News, NPR, Air America, CNN and Al Jazeera, as well as in Comedy Central's online show "The Watch List", which was later picked up for a pilot, and A&E's "15 Films About Madonna."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fahad Albutairi</span> Saudi stand-up comedian

Fahad al-Butairi is a Saudi stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. Albutairi became the first Saudi Arabian comedian to perform on stage professionally in Saudi Arabia and in the whole of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. He is also one of the most notable YouTube personalities from the country. In 2018, he was forcibly returned from Jordan to Saudi Arabia, due to his ex-wife Loujain al-Hathloul's activities as a women's rights activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival</span>

Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival is an international stand-up comedy festival held annually in Amman, Jordan. Among the stand-up comedians that participated in the festival include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar 'The White Sudani' Ramzi</span>

Omar Ramzi is the first white Sudanese stand-up comedian and one of the first stand-up comedians to perform on stage professionally in Saudi Arabia and has opened for a number of accomplished stand-up comedians from the US and the UK.

The Muslims Are Coming! is a 2013 American comedy documentary film co-directed and co-starring Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah. It follows a team of Muslim-American comedians as they tour the American South and Southwest performing free stand-up comedy shows, and engaging in community activities, with an aim to "reach out to Middle America" and counter Islamophobia.

Ali Al Sayed is a comedian based in Dubai. Al Sayed was named "one of the most influential comedians in the world" by Toastmasters International Magazine and was recently dubbed the “King of Laughter” by a group of university students competing for an internship with Rolling Stone ME. Al Sayed is the founder of the local entertainment company Viva Arts and is the co-director of Dubomedy Arts, the first and only Comedy and Urban Arts School in the MENA region.

Just Like Us is a 2010 documentary about a comedy tour of international comedians throughout the Middle East. Directed by Egyptian-American actor/comedian Ahmed Ahmed, the film premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tehran Von Ghasri</span> American actor

Tehran Von Ghasri, or simply Tehran Ghasri, professionally known as Tehran formerly Tehran SoParvaz, is an American born international stand-up comedian, writer, actor, television, radio, and podcast personality, of African-American and Persian descent. Tehran was born and raised in Washington D.C. and surrounding Washington Metropolitan Area, beginning his career television hosting and curating exclusive events. Tehran is multilingual, performing stand-up comedy in primarily in English for US audiences but also Persian, conversational Arabic, Hebrew, and French internationally.

The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club is a Los Angeles and Beirut based brand which brings U.S. comedians to cities where they do not have comedy clubs yet. It was launched by co-founders Ron Senkowski and Samira Kawas in April 2018.

Ron Senkowski is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. He is the chief executive officer and president of Symply Entertainment, a production company he founded with Lebanese producer and actress Samira Kawas. Together they also founded The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club in 2018.

Samira Kawas is a producer and actress based in Beirut. She is the vice president of Symply Entertainment, a production company co-founded by her and American writer, director and producer Ron Senkowski. In 2018 they founded The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club.

Anthony Salame is an Australian comedian and former radio host, who has also had appearances in multiple Australian television series.

Aaron Aryanpur is an American stand-up comedian, artist, and voice actor from Dallas, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ Fuller, Jaime (25 January 2014). "The 4th best State of the Union address: "Axis of evil"". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 Dougherty, Jill (1 July 2007). "'Axis of Evil' inspires laughs". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Felicia R. (10 March 2007). "Comedians as Activists, Challenging Prejudice". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Davila, Florangela. "Florangela Davila's TV Picks". The Seattle Times . Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Michael Simon Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (2008)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour". Netflix. Netflix. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Poniewozik, James (8 March 2007). "Culture Complex: Stand-Up Diplomacy". Time . Archived from the original on 16 March 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2012. Stand-up is warfare by humorous means.
  11. ↑ Dougherty, Jill (30 June 2007). "'Axis of Evil' inspires laughs". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2012. The comics' videos on YouTube have been viewed more than 200,000 times, they recently had a one-hour special on Comedy Central and they currently are on a 15-city tour with packed crowds.
  12. ↑ Salama, Vivian (1 February 2008). "Stand-up Diplomacy!". Forward . Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012. The tour was such a hit, in fact, that three major Arab networks have been vying for the rights to air excerpts from the festival.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.