Puns. They’re irresistible to headline writers and pops concert producers, but their usage usually evokes groans rather than giggles. Here are five lowlights. Name your zingers here.

In the last few years a surge in comedy podcasting has changed the way comics work. “We’re beginning to realize our careers don’t hinge on someone in a plush office deciding to aim a little luck in our direction,” Patton Oswalt told the audience at a comedy festival ...

Penn Jillette, half of Penn & Teller, host of the podcast Penn's Sunday School, and author of Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!, gives his own highly personal account of all the benefits of being an atheist.

In the 15 years since Seinfeld signed off, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus has found a niche of comedic gold in Elaine-style roles, portraying intelligent American women who want – or want to maintain – some measure of power, and control over their own lives. The role of Vice President Selena Meyer in the HBO comedy “VEEP” epitomizes the Louis-Dreyfus niche. Louis-Dreyfus discusses her Emmy-winning year, and looks ahead for Selena Meyer in 2013.

Writer, producer, and director Judd Apatow talks about his career and his latest film, “This Is 40.” It stars his wife, Leslie Mann, and their two daughters, and is based on his own experiences as a husband and father. He'll also discuss writing and directing "Knocked Up" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and his role as a producer for comedies including “Anchorman” and “Bridesmaids,” and the HBO show "Girls." "This is 40" opens nationwide on December 25.

Author and designer Kaylin Andres tackles cancer as comedy in her new comic book, "Terminally 'Illin." At the age of 23, Kaylin was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that usually affects young children. In the midst of chemo and radiation, comedy became her coping mechanism.

Penn Jillette, half of Penn & Teller, host of the podcast Penn's Sunday School, and author of Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!, gives his own highly personal account of all the benefits of being an Atheist.

In honor of Halloween, a spooky tale to chill your bones, a toasty cider recipe to warm 'em back up, and a scary-sounding web series that's actually a comedy. Take a look and listen to this week's picks.

When it comes to presidential politics, the campaign season is often the comedy gift that keeps on giving. From The Daily Show to The Colbert Report to Saturday Night Live, the election season provides no shortage of material. But this year, only one show has actually received a presidential endorsement. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele  are the comedians behind "Key & Peele" on Comedy Central. Keegan and Jordan discuss identity, politics, comedy, and their writing process. 

Last night, President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney set aside their contentious campaign for comedy, at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. Pete Dominick, host of the radio show Stand Up! on Sirius XM and a contributor to CNN, grades their performances.

For comedian Dave Hill, the electric guitar is more than an onstage prop. Wailing solos are a hallmark of his stand-up act – and his career with indie bands like Valley Lodge, Cobra Verde and Diamondsnake (Moby’s metal band). He joined us in The Greene Space with his shred-tastic brand of comedy – and a new book of essays called Tasteful Nudes.

This week: a singing planet, scientific proof that lots of things really do taste like chicken, a love letter to a map, and lots more...

Celebrating the appearance of his first published novel, Pomp and Circumstance (1961), Noël Coward coolly rebuts those critics calling him "antiquated, snobbish, and belonging to an earlier, more complacent age." 

Baratunde Thurston, the former director of digital at The Onion, talks about humor, politics, and his book How to Be Black, part memoir and part guidebook. He tells stories of his politically inspired Nigerian name, his hippie mother, his drug-abusing father who was murdered, and his wisdom and expertise in how to be black. Baratunde Thurston is participating in "Tell Your Friends!" with Janeane Garofalo and others at the Cornelia Street Café on August 19 at 8:30.

Comedian Rob Delaney's tweets about Mitt Romney are so popular that, at times, they get re-tweeted more than Romney's own tweets. Brooke speaks with Delaney about those tweets and the rise of Twitter in the world of political humor.

White Rabbits - Back For More

Daniel Okrent, a creator of “Old Jews Telling Jokes,” and performers Todd Susman and Audrey Lynn Weston, talk about the show, a revue that pays tribute to and reinvents classic jokes of the past and present. The show also features comic songs—new and old—as well as tributes to some of the giants of the comedy world. “Old Jews Telling Jokes” is playing at the Westside Theatre.

In this series, Soundcheck stops headphone-wearing strangers on the street and gets between their ears. This week, we talk with Gabrielle – an "aging" fan of comedy podcasts and Fiona Apple.

At the second installment of Kings County, the Bell House audience received two mystery guests for the price of one. Host Kurt Andersen surprised the crowd by bringing out musical comedian Reggie Watts mid-show. Then, drummer ?uestlove surprised everyone by joining Watts onstage and jumping behind Chairlift's drum kit for a reggae jam. Hear their impromptu, first-ever collaboration in this Kings County web exclusive.

Lizz Winstead, comedian, social critic, and co-creator of The Daily Show, tells how she fought to find her own voice, both as a comedian and as a woman, and how humor became her most powerful weapon in confronting life's challenges. In Lizz Free or Die she tells about her childhood longing to be a priest, her role in developing The Daily Show, and her habit of diving into everything head first.