Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the brains behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, announced today the extraordinary lineup for the return of Comedy Central Presents Clusterfest, a three-day comedy and music festival, headlined by Jon Stewart, Amy Schumer, The Lonely Island, in their first ever live concert performance, and Trevor Noah. Now in its second year, Clusterfest will once again take place in the heart of San Francisco at Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium from Friday, June 1 to Sunday, June 3, 2018. Tickets are on sale now exclusively at www.clusterfest.com.
Clusterfest is a celebration of comedy in all its forms, paired with musical performances and the most delicious food the Bay Area has to offer. Festival attendees will enjoy stand-up and sketch performances, live podcast recordings, as well as immersive attractions from some of the most beloved comedy franchises.
This year’s festival lineup includes a diverse group of established and emerging artists such as Tiffany Haddish, Jim Jefferies, Third Eye Blind, David Cross, Michael Che, Roy Wood Jr., Maria Bamford, Salt-N-Pepa, Bridget Everett & The Tender Moments, Action Bronson, Desus & Mero, Kyle Mooney & Nathan Fielder’s Video Treasures, This Is Not Happening, Bert Kreischer, Last Podcast on the Left, John Early and Kate Berlant, Alaska Thunderf**k, Manila Luzon, Jinkx Monsoon, and many more. The full lineup is available at www.clusterfest.com.
“After last year’s spectacular success with fans, talent and the entire comedy community, we’d have to be insane to not return for another round,” said Kent Alterman, president of Comedy Central. “While we are concerned anything better than last year might blow Bay Area minds into oblivion, we are prepared to take that chance.”
“Last year’s Clusterfest exceeded our expectations and we’re excited to build off that success, reimagining the live comedy experience,” said Jonathan Mayers, co-founder of Superfly. “If timing is everything, we’re exactly where we need to be as we all need to laugh now more than ever.”
In addition to comedy and musical performances, Clusterfest attendees will step into the worlds of their favorite television shows with interactive attractions from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, South Park, Double Dare and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- The South Park County Fair will invite attendees to “Come on down to Clusterfest and have yourself a time!” Festival goers can enter the world of South Park and join characters at the County Fair where attendees can try their luck at classic carnival games infused with a South Park twist.
- The Daily Show Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, attendees will explore the finest works from Trump’s Twitter collection, his preferred vessel for “communicating” with the public. The Library will feature visual installments and a fully interactive experience for hands of all sizes, giving patrons the opportunity to memorialize and celebrate many of the “unpresidented” moments of President Trump’s Twitter history.
- NickSplat, Nickelodeon’s programming block dedicated to its legendary library of hits from the ‘90s and 2000s— will bring Double Dare Presented by Mtn Dew Kickstart to Clusterfest. Attendees will get to race through iconic challenges from this beloved classic June 1-3, culminating with a one-hour Double Dare show on Sunday, June 3. Who knows, some surprise talent guests might even stop by the course!
- A fan favorite at the inaugural Clusterfest, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will once again bring Paddy’s Pub to life, serving thematic food and drink such as “Beef and Beer” and “Rum Ham” and hosting interactive programming unique to the show, such as Flipadelphia and pub trivia.
Festival goers will also enjoy food and beverages from acclaimed San Francisco chefs and restaurants serving menus inspired by their favorite comedic moments.
Clusterfest partnered with local nonprofits, including Larkin Street Youth Services, Downtown Streets and United Playaz by donating a portion of all festival ticket sales to help each organization support the San Francisco community.
Clusterfest has also teamed up once again with the renowned SF Sketchfest as a programming partner for a select number of comedic performances.
Tickets are on sale now at www.clusterfest.com. Three-day general admission starts at $234.50 and VIP packages starting at $599.50. New for 2018, Clusterfest offers a layaway plan for all ticket types that allows ticket buyers the option to split the cost of purchase into multiple payments over time.

Movie
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters

If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Events
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023


Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm