New Book 2012 BEST OF THE SPIT TAKE Elevates Comedy as Art Form; to Celebrate Release at NYC's The Stand, 2/21

Most major newspapers in the U.K. employ a comedy critic, whose work is given the same weight as professional reviewers of music, film, theater, literature, visual art, etc. In the U.S., print comedy coverage tends to be limited to an annual Comedy Issue, or rote and shallow, in a manner akin to a glorified calendar listing. Explains Seabaugh, "Very few publications take comedy reviews seriously, and none publish them very frequently. We are doing both."

The reviews in the book are contributed by some of the most respected comedy-loving journalists in the country. "I've always frowned upon the conflict of interest inherent when performers write about other performers," Seabaugh says. Unlike many comedy-news websites, The Spit Take's list of contributors regularly contribute to publications including Variety, New York Magazine, GQ, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Time Out NY, Las Vegas Weekly, The Denver Post, The Boston Globe, and many, many more, and they are all paid for their efforts. "The enjoyment of comedy can be subjective, but The Spit Take's contributors show not only why some material is inarguably of higher inherent quality, but why it matters. We prefer to provide context, insight, and unbiased honesty."

A reading event to celebrate the book's publication and the one-year anniversary of The Spit Take will be Thursday, Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m. at Manhattan's The Stand Comedy Club. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets' 24-hour customer service at 1-800-838-3006, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/324330.

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