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At a stand-up show in Philadelphia last Thursday, Hannibal Buress lambasted Bill Cosby, calling out the allegations of sexual assault that have dogged the comedian for the past decade (you can read a timeline of the abuse charges, from 13 different women, here). "It’s even worse because Bill Cosby has the fucking smuggest old black man public persona that I hate," Buress commented.Buress didn’t mince words: Thirteen? And it’s even worse because Bill Cosby has the fucking smuggest old black man public persona that I hate. Pull your pants up, black people. I was on TV in the ’80s. I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom. Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby. So, brings you down a couple notches. I don’t curse on stage. Well, yeah, you’re a rapist, so, I’ll take you sayin’ lots of motherfuckers on...

Hannibal Buress called Bill Cosby a "rapist" in a part of his stand-up set last Thursday in Philadelphia, referencing the numerous sexual assault allegations against the 77-year-old comedian. Philadelphia Magazine has video of this part of Buress's show, and his comments include the following: Thirteen? It's even worse because Bill Cosby has the f--ing smuggest old black man public persona that I hate. He gets on TV, 'Pull your pants up black people, I was on TV in the 80s. I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom.’ Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so...

It’s been 30 years since the release of Bill Cosby: Himself, the special that revolutionized stand-up comedy by alerting comics to the existence of chairs. Now, after decades in which that film spawned The Cosby Show and influenced comics who continue to sing its praises to this day—albeit mostly while standing, still having yet to master the chair—Cosby is coming back. Comedy Central has announced it will air Bill Cosby: Far From Finished on November 24, Cosby’s first comedy special since Himself, and the first time anyone has seen him do a stand-up set outside of ...

For the first time in 30 years, Bill Cosby will have a stand-up comedy concert TV special.

Comedy Central announced plans to air Cosby’s aptly titled Far From Finished on Nov. 24. The show is directed by Robert Townsend and its compiled from material that Cosby performed at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center earlier this summer. His last TV concert special was Bill Cosby: Himself in 1983

Oh, and if you happen to see Cosby today, tell him Happy Birthday — he just turned 76.

Bill Cosby turned 75 today, and perhaps to celebrate, he and Comedy Central have announced that the legendary comedian, actor and author will starring in his first television concert special in 30 years, "Far From Finished." The show, which will be compiled from material that Cosby performed at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center earlier this summer, is being directed by Robert Townsend, who has under his belt the famous concert film "Eddie Murphy Raw."Darryl M. Bell, Judi Marmel, Robert Hartmann and Stu Schreiberg are executive producing the concert event, which comes from Levity Productions. Cosby's last stand-up special was the landmark 1983 "Bill Cosby: Himself," which Cosby directed and which featured a lot of material that would lead to "The Cosby Show." Commenting on why he returned to the form, Cosby said, "Because... funny is funny." "Far From Finished" will air on Comedy Central on November 24, 2013. Take a look at a clip.

In 1983, Bill Cosby put out the stand-up film Bill Cosby: Himself. An instant classic that somehow feels completely fresh and relevant 30 years later. (If you haven't seen it, the whole thing is on YouTube below.) Beyond that, it laid the groundwork for the cultural institution that was The Cosby Show. Well, it was announced today that Cosby will be releasing his first special since Himself on Comedy Central on November 24, 2013. Entitled Far From Finished, it was directed by another comedy icon Robert Townsend. Cosby has been very active over the last decade or so, touring the country and killing it on late-night shows, but this is the first time we'll get to see a whole polished set from the legend. Kevin Hart, your "best stand-up special of the year" title is in serious jeopardy. ...

Using box office sites like Box Office Mojo and The Numbers as my primary research sources, I can say that Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, after its opening 5-day weekend box office gross of roughly $17.5 million, has become the 5th highest grossing stand-up concert movie released theatrically, since 1982 (I couldn't locate any box office information for concert movies released before that year - again, emphasis on those that were released theatrically). Although there are popular concert films like Bill Cosby: Himself, which was released in 1982, but I couldn't find any box office information on it online, which I think is odd, considering that it's considered one of the best stand-up comedy...

He may not be a warrior of comedy counterculture, but don't let Bill Cosby's cosy delivery fool you: he is a master of the form

Title: Bill Cosby: Himself

Date: 1983

The set-up: For a standup, perhaps the most subversive gesture possible is sitting down. It takes some boldness to believe you can entertain an audience – in this case for an hour and three-quarters – with what appears to be cosy chat. But then in this artform, dominated as it is by provocateurs and nonconformists, maybe Bill Cosby is what rebels look like. He hardly swears, he doesn't mention race, he execrates drink and drug abuse, he talks uncomplicatedly of God, and he promotes family life, albeit by complaining about it fondly.

And yet, even if Cosby will never be remembered as a countercultural pioneer (like a Pryor or a Carlin), the scale of his achievements is almost frightening. Born poor,...

Bill Cosby accepted the vaunted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Lincoln Center last night, complete with two hours of highlights from the 72-year-old's career: his standup on The Jack Paar Show, his breakthrough role on I Spy, and of course, The Cosby Show, among others. In accepting honor, and joining the likes of previous winners Richard Pryor and George Carlin, it marked a relaxing of Cosby's own strict standards: He'd turned down the honor twice before because of objections to the profanity-laced ceremony, the prize's first, for Pryor in 1998. ("Too much foul mouth," he said. "Too much N-word.

Given that when the 72-year-old took to the stage at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall he immediately took a seat, it could be said that Bill Cosby no longer does stand-up comedy. At that age, Cosby said, "when you stand up, people clap." His advancing years were a big facet of Cosby's act -- his two-hour set found him talking about cataract surgery, colonoscopies, grandchildren, and urinary flow issues -- as was the manner with which he strung them all together. Cosby designed his set like an intricate series of nested non-sequiteurs: Telling stories buried within stories, Cosby comes across like the good-natured,...