Comedy writing pioneer Bruce Vilanch is bursting with gayness. One of the first openly gay comedians, he's known for his continuing role on Hollywood Squares and as a head writer for the Academy Awards show, as well as writing jokes for Bette Midler, Elizabeth Taylor, The Brady Bunch, Donnie and Marie, and Lily Tomlin. (He's also one of the criminals responsible for the atrocious Star Wars Holiday Special, but we'll get into that later.)

Vilanch will be featured this Friday at Tracks Gay Comedy Night with Chuck Roy and Hippie Man. In advance of that appearance, we touched base with this iconic joke machine to chat about gay history, Comedy Central roasts and, inevitably, that awful Star Wars movie that everyone has tried so hard to forget about.

See also:
- Ron White on gay marriage, marijuana and opening acts -- including Josh Blue
- Comedian Josh Blue on the pros and cons of being an "inspiration"
- Which version of The Office was better: U.S. or U.K.?

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Reading is about more than following a narrative or learning facts; it can also be a profound shared experience that culminates in a better understanding of ourselves and each other. In that spirit, welcome to the Westword Book Club, a weekly feature that celebrates the books that inspire Denver artists.

This week we checked in with standup mainstay Jodee Champion, who performs all over Denver and does the weekly Comic Cents Radio on tradiov.com/Denver, which airs at 1 p.m. every Friday; she also cheekily documents the humorous disarray of her love life on her website Onlinedatinggems.com. Keep reading to learn her childhood literary favorites as well as the influence that satirists have had on her comedy.

See also:
- Westword Book Club: Brandi Shigley focuses on the essential and eliminates the rest
-Westword Book Club: donnie betts on reading from the bottom shelf of the library
- Westword Book Club: Comedian Adrian Mesa on spirituality in literature

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Jennifer Koskinen

A scene from last year's Better Block Project.

What could a fresh coat of paint, live music and a comfortable place to enjoy a meal outdoors do for a block in your neighborhood? Residents of Five Points could find out this Saturday, May 11, when Denver's second Better Block project focuses on the 2400 block of Welton Street -- home of Sonny Lawson Park. The one-day mini-makeover of a city block will also include dance performances, food vendors, gardening demonstrations, walking tours and more.

Last year's edition focused the Jefferson Park area, and the block of West 25th Avenue where the event was held is indeed looking better. In advance of Saturday's block party, Westword spoke with Gosia Kung, director of WalkDenver, the organization behind the project, about last year's success and this year's goals.

See also:
- Photos: Better Block project transforms Jefferson Park spot
- Five Points community gets to the point at cultural potluck today
- Photos: Corner House opens today with chef Matt Selby behind the burners

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Natalie Brasington

Maria Bamford

Maria Bamford has long been a comedian of choice for those who enjoy offbeat humor grounded in absurdist, sharply observed character sketches. Over the last decade and a half, Bamford has raised her public profile with appearances on the Comedians of Comedy Tour, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and three years of Target Christmas commercials that give holiday shopping the surrealistic and borderline psychotic edge it so richly deserves.

Bamford will be at the Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue, at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 10; in advance of her appearance, she answered some questions via e-mail regarding her relatively recent openness about her real-life struggle with anxiety and depression in her act, avoiding environments conducive to hecklers and how she develops and introduces new material into her shows.

See also:
- Kathy Griffin talks Cher, Celine Dion and how straight women get laid
- Lily Tomlin on stand-up, Kristen Wiig and playing Reba McEntire's mother
- Comedy review: Chris Hardwick gets cozy in Kigurumi pajamas at Comedy Works

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Giuliano Bekor

For the better part of three decades, Kathy Griffin has been performing standup -- but the two-time Emmy winner may be best known for her television domination. With more than a dozen comedy specials under her belt and multiple TV series with Griffin as the star, the comedian has found success in being herself on screen, using both the reality and talk-show formats to expose all aspects of her personal life. An outspoken ally and LGBTQ activist, she is also known for confronting opponents of equality head-on.

In advance of her appearance this Friday, May 10, at the Buell Theatre, Griffin took time to chat with us about being an ally, petting Celine Dion's hair and what it was like to meet Barbra Streisand for the first time.

See also:
- Lily Tomlin on stand-up, Kristen Wiig and playing Reba McEntire's mother
- Comedy review: Chris Hardwick gets cozy in Kigurumi pajamas at Comedy Works
- Death of the civil unions bill got you down? Just marry a gay guy

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Manual Ramos, true North Side.

Set in the depths of a Denver recession, Manuel Ramos' new novel follows Gus Corral as he gets caught up in a gritty world of warring gangs, murder and a missing religious artifact. Out now on Arte Público Press, Desperado: A Mile High Noir uses the North Side of Denver as the backdrop for a thrilling crime tale.

Ramos will discuss and sign his new book at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Broadway Book Mall. In advance of that, we caught up with the local writer and co-founder of La Bloga to talk about Desperado , writing crime fiction and the gentrification of the neighborhood he's lived in for over thirty years.

See also:
- Filmmaker Alex Cox on Repo Man and the beauty of black and white film
- Anti-conjuror Dan Sperry on pushing the boundaries of the grotesque
- Impulse Theater benefit raises funds for comedian Mara Wiles's medical bills

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Unless you're new to the Denver scene, you've probably had a hazy night in the RiNo district -- seeing a show at the Meadowlark or the Larimer, getting a taco at a food truck, stopping outside MegaFauna to peer in at the locally-made clothing, prints and assorted sundries. MegaFauna owner John McCaskill wants to take this experience and amp it up to a full-scale street party. His brainchild is the Final Friday Music Walk and Urban Bazaar, which is set to kick off on Friday, May 31; the series will continue through the end of August.

McCaskill recently sat down with us to explain what the Urban Bazaar is all about, and his vision for the future of the RiNo district.

See also:
- Photos: MegaFauna in RiNo adds a cafe
- MegaFauna kicks off a year of artist/designer showcases with a rock-poster extravaganza
- Best RiNo Boutique 2012 MegaFauna

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Byron Graham

Adrian Mesa hosts 3 Course Comedy at Deer Pile.

Reading is about more than following a narrative or learning facts; it can also be a profound shared experience that culminates in a better understanding of ourselves and each other. In that spirit, welcome to the Westword Book Club, a new recurring section that celebrates the books that inspire Denver artists.

This week, Adrian Mesa, comedian, gourmand and charming barbecue guest, discusses his favorite book: The Pilgrimage, by Brazillian novelist Paolo Coelho. The Pilgrimage follows its protagonist's spiritual development as he traverses the road to Santiago de Compostela, an important Catholic pilgrimage site in northern Spain.

See also:
- Round two with Annabelle Forrestal: Matt Selby, markets and mussels
- Denver's ten best comedy nights
- A guide to DIY comedy tours with the Fine Gentleman's Club

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Along with their love of sleeping late and attempting nothing ambitious during daylight hours, millennials seem to have an unending appetite for nostalgia. Comedians have been capitalizing on this for some time, making jokes about vintage Nintendo games and comic books. So it only makes sense that someone finally came along and put together a comedy commentary show surrounded by (relatively) vintage Saturday morning cartoons and commercials of the '80s and '90s.

We caught up with event Cartoons and Comedy organizer Christopher Baker to chat about why it's not regressive to enjoy cartoons and a bowl of cereal on a Saturday morning, even as an adult.

See also:
- Denver's ten best comedy nights
- Beavis and Butt-Head and four other '90s shows that deserve a revamp
- Denver's five best comedy venues

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Burke Raby

Lucas Richards and his Cuddly Cryptozoological Creations.

Lucas Richards, creator of the Horndribbles, is ready to take his project to the next level. Initially, each Horndribble functioned like a unique soft sculpture; now Richards hopes to cut down on the labor involved in this labor of love in order to introduce the toys to a new generation.

Westword caught up with Richards in advance of Return of the Horndribbles, an event slated for April 15 at the Children's Museum, where he and his partner, Devon Braun of Explorer's Playground, will debut a story book and a line of Horndribbles manufactured for sale as toys. An RSVP is requested, as space is limited; visit the Facebook event page to let them know you're coming.

See also:
- Wild Ones: The Horndribbles will satisfy your animal urges
- Horndribbles Sexy Beast T-Shirt Bash
- Toot Your Own Horndribble

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