Scott Shimamoto

Funny post about politics on FB

2011-11-21T16:07:00.001-08:00

Sometimes truth is funnier than fiction.

I re-shared a post about this lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Facebook today and a healthy discussion ensued.

This is a link to the video... http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/jack-abramoff-the-system-has-not-changed-27343689.html

Anyway, as I was typing a comment, I came up with this stroke of genius..

"I actually don't really know who Jack Abramoff is other than what they said on that video, but it sounds like he needs to drop the "abram" out of his name!!! the democrats and republicans are two sides of the same coin!!!"

The point of this is that I spend a lot of time writing my jokes, but sometimes, my funniest material happens spontaneously when I'm on stage. That's when I wonder why I take the time to write anything at all!!!

Why should you refinance before the end of 2011??

2011-11-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

Why should you refinance your house now?

1.    Rates are close to the historical low!
2.    You may be able to save a lot of money over the life of the loan!
3.    A $100 savings can save you up to $36,000 over a 30 year term (depends on when you got your original loan)!
4.    If you pay PMI, we may be able to eliminate the monthly PMI payment
5.    Certain refinancing costs may be a tax deduction for 2011
6.    If you obtain a lower monthly payment and continue to pay the amount you were paying, you can save A LOT more money in interest payments.

Get with me and I can run some numbers for you!

scottshimamotocomic@gmail.com

Is the City of Montebello the next City of Bell?

2011-10-16T13:03:00.001-07:00

The link at the end of this post leads to a very disturbing article about the city of Montebello. Why are the bureaucrats and politicians in Montebello trying to use "procedural changes" to try to silence Christina Cortez?

Christina Cortez was ELECTED by the people of Montebello to make sure that government corruption and waste.

It is well documented that there a some HUGE financial problems in Montebello right now, so this is what Christina SHOULD be doing!

If anybody has Christina's Facebook address, please forward it to me. I want to congratulate her and add her as a friend. There are approximately 1.7 million Christina Cortez on FB so I couldn't find her... : )

Let me say that you cannot say Montebello with out saying BELL!

Let me know what you think!

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1012-montebello-20111012,0,943848.story

Relay For Life 2011 Rocked!!!

2011-06-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wow!!!

We had another GREAT Relay For Life. I was on Karen Peterson's team this year. It was called Team Shimizu. So far the team raised over $6,000 and the relay itself raised OVER $100,000.

I forgot to turn in more money from the Relay For Laffs comedy show on Saturday, but I'm going to take it to the ACS office this week. We did that show at the Ice House main room in May. That event raised nearly $2,000!

They're still taking donations on this link for another couple of weeks, so if you're down to help the cause, please click on the link.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11CA?px=4121103&pg=personal&fr_id=31022

Both my parents have battled cancer. Because of the work that the American Cancer Society and other organizations have done over the years, I'm happy to say that my dad and mom are both in control of their cancers!

We obviously need to monitor them to make sure that they can continue to live healthy lives, but right now, everything looks great.

Speaking of health issues, my next post will be about my type 2 diabetes and how i'm controlling it without any meds. I'll tell you how I lost about 25 pounds and I'm almost ready to do a reveal on my new "Bruce Lee" physique! Stay Tuned!

More press coverage for earthquake shows!!!

2011-04-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow,

Somebody has been paying attention to our fundraising efforts for Japan's Earthquake/Tsunami victims.

We got some press coverage from the Rafu Shimpo! Click here to see article

I'm also doing a show tonight at Steven's Steakhouse with Gilbert Esquivel, Rudy Moreno, and Willie Barcena!

There will also be an all star jam session with musicians from WAR, Tierra, Thee Midnighters and more!

Thanks to my Latino brothers for putting on this show and letting me be a part of it..

More details on the show at this link

The community came out to help our friends in Japan!!!

2011-03-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to announce that the Japan Disaster Comedy show was a huge success!

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, we packed the back room of the Zapata Vive Restaurant in Arcadia, California.

We raised over $1,500 for the people who need our help in Japan. The funds will be distributed to the Japan Business Association and Red Cross for use in helping Japan recover from the earthquake and tsunami.

We even received some press from "Arcadia's Best". Thanks for supporting us "AB"!!!

Here's a link to the Arcadia's Best article!

Thanks everybody who supported our show, or who have donated to any of the agencies that are trying to help!

Twitter and Facebook have made me lazy about blogging!!!

2011-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

At first, I thought that the 150 or so characters that Twitter gives you to say something would be too restrictive.

I can barely get my name in that many characters.

But what I have found is that Twitter MAKES me get to the point....FAST! That is a GREAT thing for me, because I have a tendency to put too many words in my comedy routines. Twitter gives me a mental exercise to be more concise in my writing.

Now I'm tweeting and posting on my Facebook profile at the same time using MA Chatterbox. MA Chatterbox can be accessed through my shopping website http://www.marketamerica.com/ScottShimamoto

This site saves me a lot of time because my friend and Webmaster extraordinaire, Paula Johnson http://www.paulajohnson.com/ set up my twitter account to automatically update this site and I'm killing two birds with that single stone.

The problem is that I have not been as disciplined as I should be when it comes to posting a new thought to this blog.

Am i too busy? Maybe. Am I too lazy to update this blog? Probably.

I will tell you that I have been writing A LOT of new material. Hopefully, you'll see a lot more new stuff in the upcoming shows described in the next paragraph.

I'm doing an industry showcase with Vargus Mason at the Comedy Store Main room on Wednesday, February 23. Paula Johnson and I are producing a St Patrick's Day music and comedy show on Thursday, March 17 at Zapata Vive in Arcadia.

OK, so now that I've gotten that off my chest, look for a really meaningful post that is more than 150 characters soon!

Opening for Tommy Davidson??? YES!!!!

2010-10-06T23:50:00.001-07:00

So I get this call to do a show at the new Flapper's Comedy Club in Burbank. I'm excited to do ANY show right? So I'm confirming the time so I can promote it and it turns out that I'm one of the opening acts for TOMMY DAVIDSON!!!!!

This is the real thing guys!!! I'm extremely excited (take that any way you want!!)

The show is Thursday, October 14 at 10 PM...

Flappers Comedy Club Burbank
102 East Magnolia, Burbank, CA 91502
TICKETS: $15.00

DID YOU HEAR ME??? TOMMY DAVIDSON!!!

Details are on the link below..

http://www.comedycasting.com/h2fnew/index.php?pg=showdetail_page&showid=014c8a8a0504553&meetid=014c517821daa8b&id=2312

Learning comedy from a book??? The Conclusion

2010-08-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

OK, so I finished the comedy book.

Overall, it was really helpful, and I recommend it highly.

The final couple of chapters brought the first parts of the book together.

Before I go further, I want to name the book and author. It's called "Step By Step To Stand Up Comedy" by Greg Dean.

What I liked about the book is that it really broke it down scientifically for me.

I've been doing comedy for about three and a half years now, and I WAS doing some of the things that were recommended in the book INSTINCTIVELY. The problem I sometimes have is knowing how to recreate a high level of writing and performing when things are not going so well. Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I'm able to understand the dynamics of why things go well and not so well. Knowing these things will help me keep things on a higher level more consistently.

The book broke it down, well, step by step. It got me thinking about how to get to my happy, and more importantly, the audience's happy comedy place.

I think that if I take the info in the book to heart, I can achieve a higher percentage of good jokes in my writing, and also improve my consistency in my performances.

You can find the book online at Barnes and Noble. Not to make a commercial for myself, but if you buy the book through my shopping website, you help me out and you can get 4% cash back on your purchase. Just sign up as a preferred customer, it's free! There are over 3,000 other stores on there too. I can step you through it if you have trouble.

http://www.marketamerica.com/ScottShimamoto/index.cfm

I hope this book review was helpful!!!

Learning comedy from a book??? Part 2

2010-08-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

As I progress through the comedy book, I see how the joke structure turns into a "bit" structure.

The author describes a very logical progression of how to put the jokes in order in a logical fashion. I was in total agreement with how the logic comes into ordering the jokes in the bit because in my own storytelling style of comedy, I know that there needs to be a logical beginning, middle and end of the bit.

The author keeps harping on keeping the jokes efficient and to the point. This is a good hint for me because I tend to ramble sometimes.

The chapter on rehearsing was worth the price of the book all by itself. The suggestion is not to memorize the words, but to memorize the "experience".

According to the author, if you memorize the experience, the words will follow. If you perform in that manner, the audience will become emotionally tied to the performance and go where you as the comic want them to go.

Basically, a comic needs to BECOME the bit. I completely agree with that too. When I have a good set, I almost feel like the words are automatically coming out of my mouth. The audience gets it, and the more they laugh, the better I perform. I've been doing this instinctively for the most part, but now that I've read this, I will be making a conscious effort to write, rehearse, and perform like that.

I'm almost done with the book. I'll give you my final conclusions on the book soon!

Can you learn how to be funny by reading a book?

2010-08-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a book about how to write jokes. I'm about half way through it.

I'm not going to say who the author is unless I write some KILLER jokes and am able to PERFORM them consistently.

So far, the book is really big on how the joke is structured. There is a setup, then a misdirection punch line. At first blush, I feel like a "joke structure" is a little restrictive. I'm going to keep reading to see if the author is going to describe how to take that joke structure and allow for some free flowing story telling.

My comedy heroes are Richard Pryor, George Lopez, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Judy Tenuta, Paul Rodriguez, and Scott Shimamoto. (Sorry, I had to know that I'm SOMEBODY'S comedy hero. Plus I needed to be mentioned in the same sentence with those guys.) Where was I. Oh, yeah, I wanted to talk about my style. I like telling stories like my comedy heroes, and a joke structure seems like it is going to make me write a bunch of one liners. I do some one liners, but I don't think it's a good idea to write every line of my routine as a set up and misdirection punch.

I must say that the book has some VERY good hints that I need to keep in mind. One of the hints is to END the joke with a punch line and don't talk over the laughter. I learned that from my first comedy coach Bobbie Oliver as well, but I think most comedians instinctively know that before they start. It is GREAT to hear about comedy fundamentals again anyway, because as in any performance, the fundamentals are critical.

It's like shooting a basket or hitting a golf ball. Some people can just see others do it, and then mimic the actions with good success without even thinking about it. The problem comes when these "naturals" want to take it to a higher level and hope to get paid to do it. If they're not paying attention to the fundamentals of WHY they can do what they do, they will most likely hit a plateau and not get any better.

Once I finish reading the book, I'll post another blog and give you my thoughts on what the rest of the book says. I know that what I've read so far has been helpful, and it has definitely given me some good fundamentals that I'll keep in mind when I'm writing new material.

Shirley Sherrod is getting the SHAFT!!

2010-07-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Shirley Sherrod is getting the SHAFT!!

No, not the Richard Roundtree type of Shaft.. She's getting absolutely screwed by the media that has taken a sound bite out of context and run with it.

I am against racism. I hate when black people say racist things just like I hate when white or any other race say racist things that are hateful.

Shirley Sherrod has been demonized for a sound bite that was taken out of context.

If you listen to the entire speech, you will see that she is a very thoughtful, intelligent,and wise woman. She should have NEVER resigned and moreover should have just ran this video to see what she really meant.

She was trying to show how she learned a valuable lesson about disregarding the color of someone's skin. I encourage you to take a listen before you demonize her. What do YOU think?

This is a link to the FULL video...

PS, I'm a Republican, possibly the only republican comedian who likes talking smack!

Fighting for my Mom

2010-06-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

I know this is supposed to be a Blog about comedy, but I need to write a few words about my mom. Without my mom, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have inherited the creative gene needed to create new jokes.

My mom was recently diagnosed with Lung Cancer. A lot of people have been giving my family and me their good wishes and prayers. We very much appreciate this support and thank everybody. It has been a very nervous time for us because we didn’t know what the future would hold.

I’m writing this to inform everybody of what we’re dealing with and also, so I can keep track of what our doctor has told us. I have placed hyperlinks in this document so that you can easily click on the link for more detailed information.

I want to say that if you are ever dealing with cancer, I encourage you to start by going to the American Cancer Society’s web page www.cancer.org or call them at 1·800·227·2345. They are a source for both information and support. Their goals are Research, Education, Advocacy, and Service for cancer patients and their loved ones.

As you may know, I have been active in helping the ACS raise much needed awareness and donations through my involvement with the Arcadia, California Relay For Life as well as comedy show fundraisers for the ACS in general. I’m very grateful that the work of the ACS and other organizations have taken the prognosis of cancer from a death sentence to a treatable disease in many cases. 2 out of every 5 people will be told “you have cancer” in their lifetimes, and that number is too high.

It is taking a lot of time, but through the efforts of these organizations, we ARE MAKING PROGRESS. Luckily, we found out that my mom’s cancer prognosis is good. She has been diagnosed with Adenacarcinoma of the Lung. They also call it a bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, which is a non-small cell cancer. If you get cancer of the lungs, this is probably the one to get. While it is not curable, it is treatable and the doctor thinks that based on her being an Asian female, non-smoker (she did smoke lightly for about 10 years many years ago), the treatment option should be very effective. In addition, there is something called an EGFR mutation that my mom (and many others) may have, that may make the treatment even more effective.

The lab work was unable to determine this through the biopsy because they could not obtain enough of a sample. We are not opting to do another biopsy at this point because the EGFR mutation will only help out the situation and not harm it if she has it or not. The treatment will be a drug called Tarceva.

Tarceva is a once a day pill that has less side effects than other therapies. It works by blocking a certain protein that is important for tumor cell growth. This therapy should be way less invasive and therefore more comfortable for my mom as she battles cancer.

Coincidentally, the Arcadia Relay for Life took place this weekend, June 26 and 27 in the infield of the Santa Anita Racetrack. It was like a picnic with entertainment designed to spread awareness of the disease and to raise money to find a cure.

So far we raised over $100,000!!!!

We're still taking donations until July 31... For more information or to make a donation, please visit this site Arcadia Relay For Life Event

Thank you for reading this.

Relay for Life is June 26-27

2010-04-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Save the date for the Arcadia Relay For Life event starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 26 and continuing through Sunday. This all day/all night event takes place at the Santa Anita Park racetrack.

Join my team and help find a cure for cancer.

My favorite workout

2010-04-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you're a comedian who wants to try out new material or a comedy fan who's interested in the "process," visit The Joke Gym at Zapata Vive. The website has all the details and the blog has show recaps.

Generally, my co-producer Paula Johnson host the show on the first Thursday and I host the show on the third Thursday.

Multi-lingual motorcycles

2010-04-13T21:26:00.001-07:00