Get The Door. It’s Aasif.

It seems our man Mandvi has a nose for pizza. Seen this?

Telug(h)umor

Stand-up star Hari Kondabolu’s late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live made waves last week (Sepia, The Stranger , NerdNYC).

But the comedian’s day job is actually far from being “funny.”

Kondabolu, a Bowdoin College graduate, recently spoke to his alumni magazine about working in Seattle for Hate Free Zone, a non-profit, founded after 9/11, to help immigrant communities cope with intolerance and backlash. Kondabolu describes the work as “depressing and tiring, but inspiring when it works out.”

Kondabolu’s routines are often based on what it means to be desi in America. Check out his take on speaking Telugu:

Tharoor On Colbert

Former UN Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor rolls through The Colbert Report. Hilarity ensues.

“Hotter Than A Vindaloo”

Lady in Red

Rumor has it Shilpa Shetty will soon be starring in a romantic comedy with the king of rom-coms himself, Hugh Grant.

An unnamed “industry insider” tells the Daily Star that “it’s going to be hotter than a vindaloo… with dancing, singing and a spicy story to boot.”

The rumors “gained momentum” when Shetty showed up at the London premiere of Grant’s latest film Music and Lyrics on Monday night. The film stars Drew Barrymore and Daily Show--resident desi Aasif Mandvi. It is to be released on Valentine’s Day.

(We sat down with Mandvi on the set of Music and Lyrics. Be sure to check out our upcoming issue for the exclusive.)

Kaling Snags SAG

Kaling (right, with bangs) at the awards-ceremony. (ImNotObsessed.Com)

Mindy Kaling and her “officemates” were recognized by the Screen Actors Guild Sunday night for their “outstanding performance” as “an ensemble in a comedy series (NBC’s The Office).”

Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor, also writes for the show.

Arj Barker Live

Following Shazia Mirza’s run at the Punchline Comedy Club in San Francisco last week is Arj Barker, who headlines there this week through January 27 before heading off to Australia. Barker, whose humor might be described as observational and/or absurdist (or, just judge for yourself) has performed on the late night shows of Leno, Letterman and O’Brien, performed twice on Comedy Central Presents, co-written The Marijuana-Logues, and has an animated web show starring his cat (Arj and Poopy). In addition, he is the President and Spokesman for Monobrow.com, which has featured film actress Kajol as its Queen.

More:
“Comic Barker deadpans his way through clubs, onto the stage”

Click Away the Pain

It’s a song about desire, unrequited love and poking.

Penn Masala’s latest track is an ode to online stalking–as the Nirali faves turn to the pages of Facebook for inspiration. The result (“Facebook Skit“) can be found on the group’s forthcoming album Pehchaan. Eat your heart out Enrique:

More:
Penn Masala on the Web
Nirali features Penn Masala on the group’s tenth anniversary
Join Nirali Magazine on Facebook!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Kolbert

Stephen Colbert revisits last week’s decision to side with Shah Rukh Khan in The Colbert Report‘s continuing segment ‘We the MEdiator’:

More:
The Colbert Report
Comedy Central
KKKG
Lal Badshah = Box Office Bomb

Put Him On The W(riter)-List

Joely Fisher, Brad Garrett

Add Vijal M. Patel’s name to the growing numbers of “South Asians getting ahead in non-traditional fields like TV writing,” described in “Masti See TV.” After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in engineering and business, Patel moved to Los Angeles and entered the entertainment profession. Working his way up from production assistant to writer’s assistant, he was eventually offered a position as staff writer. Currently, he writes for the FOX network’s new comedy series ‘Til Death, starring Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond. Have you seen the show? What do you think?

Vijal Patel

Another passion of Patel’s is music. He has two albums, the debut mostly acoustic-rock “Down With Misery”, instrumental album “Pose”, and additional singles on his Web site. Judging by his cooking show “Who Invited You?” which includes a budget-minded recipe for a Mock Tandoori Chicken Pita Pocket Sandwich, Patel is a sort of Renaissance man, with diverse creative pursuits in addition to screenwriting.

Mirza Takes The Mic

(Steve Ullathorne)

Shazia Mirza headlines this week in San Francisco at the Punchline Comedy Club through the 20th. In addition to her stand-up routine, she acts and writes for TV and theater. Later this month Mirza will be presenting a BBC Radio 4 documentary on “Humour Around the World.”

A Luxembourg news magazine interviewed Mirza last year when she was in town for a festival that celebrates alternative and fringe female artists and performers (Can Somebody Plug Me In?), and described changes over time in her act.

More information:
ShaziaMirza.org
Punchline Comedy Club