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Ronnie Khalil Biography From Wikipedia
Ronnie Khalil is an Egyptian-American stand-up comedian and actor. He has headlined across four continents, toured the United States as a guest performer with the “Axis of Evil”, performed with “Arabs Gone Wild” and taped two “Friday Night Live” Showtime Comedy specials in Dubai, including “Minorities Rule” and “New World Order”, both were shown across 14 countries in the Middle East. Ronnie has performed in sold-out shows across the Middle East and was part of the first-ever Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival in Jordan, as well as numerous other comedy festivals including the New York Underground, NY Arab-American, South Beach, Los Angeles and Boston Comedy Festivals. He was also twice invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival's "Just for Pitching." Ronnie has been featured on sketches for “Conan O’Brian”, ABC News, NPR, Air America, CNN and Al Jazeera, as well as in Comedy Central's online show "The Watch List", which was later picked up for a pilot, and A&E's "15 Films About Madonna."
Khalil is Executive Producer of the first ever Middle Eastern Comedy Festival in Los Angeles, premiering September 2009, with the goal of changing stereotypes
in the Hollywood entertainment industry.
Khalil grew up in Miami, FL, where he was a founding member of "The Miami Comics", an ethnically diverse group of stand-up comedians.
In addition to stand-up, Khalil earned his M.B.A. from the University of Miami, and lectures in colleges throughout the United States regarding success and motivation. His most popular lectures are “Success through C.O.M.E.D.Y.” and “Networking: How to Avoid Really Hard Work.” Both Khalil’s parents were university professors, and his father is currently President of Nile University in Cairo, Egypt.
Sources
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=81764
http://arabcomedy.org/news/directors-writers/Ronnie_Khalil_44.shtml
http://www.gulfnews.com/tabloid/Entertainment/10213173.html
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081212/NATIONAL/731464596/1139
http://www.prlog.org/10140294-first-ever-stand-up-comedy-festival-in-middle-east-to-be-held-in-amman-jordan-december-2-5-2008.html
http://www6.miami.edu/miami-magazine/winter05/classnotes.html
http://www.sheckymagazine.com/2006/07/just-for-laughs-2006-thursday.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451098/
External links
www.ronniekhalil.com
Ronnie “Real Deal” Khalil
Born in Miami and raised by Egyptian parents, Ronnie combines energy, intelligence and facial expressions to leave audiences laughing out loud and wondering “sure he seems nice enough…but why is he still following us?”
Ronnie is featured on a new show “The Watch List” airing on Comedy Central’s internet channel. He has performed in several sketches for Conan O’Brien, as well as the Boston, NY Underground, and NY Arab-American Comedy Festivals. Ronnie was invited to pitch a television pilot at the 2006 Montreal Comedy Festival.
He has written for Collegehumor.com, filmed for A&E’s “15 Films” and Discovery Channel’s “Twisted History.” He has been heard on Air America, NPR and BBC, and seen on ABC News and Al Jazeera (in a good way).
In addition to stand-up, Ronnie studied improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City and Just the Funny, and with the acting studio The Barrow Group. He has also appeared off-Broadway and saved numerous children from burning buildings.
Ronnie lives in NYC and Miami, and is a regular in the New York and South Florida comedy scenes. All-in-all, he's awesome.
Ronnie Khalil has headlined across four continents, performing with the "Axis of Evil", "Arabs Gone Wild" , "Sultans of Satire", and taped two "Friday Night Live" Showtime Comedy specials in Dubai, including "Minorities Rule" and "New World Order." He has performed in sold-out shows across the Middle East and was part of the first-ever Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival in Jordan, as well as numerous other comedy festivals including the New York Underground, NY Arab-American, South Beach, Los Angeles and Boston Comedy Festivals. Ronnie has been featured on sketches for "Conan O'Brian" , ABC News, NPR, Air America, CNN and Al Jazeera.
Ronnie Khalil
Stand-up Comic/Lecturer
www.ronniekhalil.com
www.miamicomics.com
They may have to stand-up but it's a good job you'll be sat for two hours of the greatest comedy from the across the globe. In the hilarious follow-up
to The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour, Showtime presents Friday Night Live - a two-hour side-splitting extravaganza at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena.
Showtime Arabia is bringing the show to Dubai on Friday May 16.
Friday Night Live marks Showtime's second foray into bringing relevant, world-class stand-up to the Middle East after the break out success of the The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour.
And with a diverse mixture of cultures and nationalities living and working in Dubai, the one-off show is certain to offer something for everyone.
A star-studded line-up plans to bring a night of a thousand and one laughs for all who take their seats and prepare to be heckled.
The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour entertained more than 20,000 people across five Arabic cities and Palestinian-American comic Aron Kader, returns to host the event with the hysterical, Sugar Sammy, an Indian-born rising star from Canada who has opened for Dave Chappelle, along with the most recognisable Asian comedian in Canada, Youtube hit, Ron Josol.
Joining them is the African-American sensation from Comedy Central, Dwayne Perkins, Jordanian-American Mike Batayeh who's appeared on Everybody loves Raymond, and Egyptian-American Ronnie Khalil with credits on Conan O'Brien.
Lebanese national Nemr Abou Nassar hot off the heels of a 2,000 seat sell-out for his 90-minute performance, and Cairo's George Azmy, who was discovered during Showtime's Axis of Evil Middle East Tour talent search, will also perform brand new sets.
Showtime's stand-up comedian Wonho Chung will also be among this international mix of hilarious comedians, who will present an evening of world-class comedy guaranteed to raise the roof when they descend on Dubai for one night only.
Meet the guys
ARON KADER: is a comedian of Palestinian and American heritage. His mother is a Mormon and he often jokes about his usual mixed background. He is one of the four members of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, and regularly performs at his home club The Comedy Store.
MIKE BATAYEH: is a native of Detroit, Michigan who is of Jordanian descent. Mike, a comedian, actor and writer who resides in California performs regularly all around LA including such notable venues as the Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store.
RONNIE KHALIL: was born in Miami and raised by Egyptian parents, Ronnie is a comedian, actor and screenwriter. He has taped for Comedy Central, A&E, and been featured on sketches for Conan O'Brien, and has recently performed at the Arab American Comedy Festival in New York.
WONHO CHUNG: is an up-and-coming stand up comedian of South Korean and Vietnamese heritage. He was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and raised in Jordan most of his life. He speaks Arabic fluently as well as speaking four other languages which are; English, Vietnamese, Korean and French. He was introduced as the latest member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour in late 2007, as the long lost Korean the troupe was looking for.
GEORGE AZMY: is an Egyptian aspiring comedian and a visual artist who won Showtime and the Axis of Evil's casting call for stand up comedians. Since then he has opened for the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour in the Middle East in various countries. He currently works for an advertising agency here in Dubai as a Creative Director.
NEMR ABOU NASSAR: is a seasoned stand up comedian from Lebanon and has been shaking up the stand up comedy scene, and performing in front of sold out venues, since his performance on the Lebanese leg of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. He has trained a couple of young talents to work alongside him and has been working with various TV stations on comedy projects.
DWAYNE PERKINS: is a young vet in the comedy game. With appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Late Show, and Premium Blend, Dwayne has earned a spot in today's class of elite stand-up comics. Dwayne is a regular crowd pleaser in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
SUGAR SAMMY: is one of the hottest, emerging young comedians on the international circuit. Sugar Sammy has recently enjoyed considerable success around the world. He has set attendance records and received rave reviews in comedy clubs, colleges, and theatres across North America, Europe, South Africa and Asia.
RON JOSOL: is a professional stand-up comedian performing across the globe, performing regularly in Canada, the US, the Pacific Islands, Arabian Gulf, Asia, Central America and top comedy clubs like the improv and the infamous Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California. In 2000, Ron won the Craven A's funniest home grown competition for the Just For Laughs comedy festival, achieved his own comedy special, Comedy Now, on CTV/Comedy network. Since then he has been performing in many festivals such as the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs, International Comedy Fest 2k8 and The Orange County Comedy Festival.
‘Friday Night Live’ funny man to take Dubai stage
One of the region’s most seasoned comedians plays in Dubai tonight but admits that even now he is still learning what is and what is not acceptable to local audiences.
Friday Night Live’s Ronnie Khalil, who grew up in the US, has gained many fans in the UAE and has even been praised for broaching previously taboo stereotypes. He is appearing at the Dubai Community Theatre for Friday Night Live, New World Order, with some of the region’s most popular comedians, Sugar Sammy, Wonho Chung and Ron Josol.
“I never do a lot of material that involves sex, politics or religion,” he says. “I don’t cut it out completely but it’s a matter of being respectful to the region and its culture although sometimes I say stuff that I don’t consider inappropriate and later learn it was a major faux pas. It’s a learning process for me too, even now. I have to admit, I do have a darker side to my comedy, and I save that for other regions. And if there is a chance there are going to be kids in the audience I have a responsibility to clean up my act.”
He believes comedy offers a way of discussing how the Middle East fits in with the rest of the world.
“One of the biggest reasons people laugh at jokes is because they can relate to the comedian’s experience on some level,” he says. “Things like relationships, love and jobs are universal, but to be able to talk to Middle-Easterners about regionally or culturally specific material, well, that’s something that’s completely fresh and novel.”
At home in the US, Middle East jokes make up only half his act but he says that his material does in fact translate. “Because America is essentially a country of immigrants, they relate to a lot of my family situations, even if the culture is seemingly a world away.”
In comedy, he says, everyone should be able to laugh at themselves. “I have best friends from every race, culture and religion. It is the healthiest and most wonderful group of friends. My jokes are never meant to be mean or spiteful because then it turns a comedy show into a hate rally.”
Khalil says audiences in the UAE are “fantastic laughers”.
“They go out to have a good time and have fun, that’s all we can ask as comedians. My experience in the Middle East in general has been fantastic. I love the people so much and I find myself taking much more interest in the culture than I ever did growing up as a child. In some regions, it feels like the people have been bottling up the laughter for a long time and they finally have an avenue to release it. I’ve also been back to the UAE so often that now I have great friends here, and look forward to it not just for work but for social camaraderie.”
Khalil’s big break came when he joined the Arab comedy group Axis of Evil, which has transformed the world of comedy – the first group of Arab comedians to break into the mainstream English language comedy scene.
“Axis of Evil’s success did a wonderful thing as well as the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, which we held every year in the US. At first, the audiences were all Arab but now they are nearly 50 per cent other races.
In the Middle East very few comedians perform in Arabic because the culture is very new to the region.
“Me and fellow Arab-American comedians have been holding comedy workshops throughout the region,” Khalil said. “There is both interest and a lot of
talent. Two of my friends, George Azmy and Nemr Abou Nasser are funny Arabic-speaking comedians and, with time and practice, will be extraordinary. The
most important thing is that the community accepts them and helps them. I also have thought of trying out comedy in Arabic, and may do some short sets
during future shows.”
From Comedy Central The Watch List - Parents may throw surprise wedding
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Ronnie Khalil Quotes
Ronnie Khalil Blog
Ronnie Khalil Interview
Ronnie Khalil Pictures
height: 6’0”
weight: 168 lbs
eyes: brown
hair: black
TELEVISION / FILM / MEDIA
The Watch List (pilot) Himself/Student Comedy Central
15 Films (pilot) Principal A&E Channel
Stand up Australia Himself - Comedian Comedy Channel, Australia
The Minority Report (TV special) Himself - Comedian Showtime Arabia
Twisted History (pilot) Himself Discovery Channel
Late Night with Conan O’Brien (sketches) Iraqi Author NBC
Late Night with Conan O’Brien (sketches) Newscaster (V.O) NBC
COMMERCIALS
Will provide conflicts upon request
THEATRE
Fleeing Katrina Lead NY Midtown Theatre Festival
TRAINING
Lesly Kahn, Lesly Kahn and Associates Comedy Acting Intensive
Seth Barrish, The Barrow Group Scene Study Intensive
Lee Brock, The Barrow Group Scene Study Continued Intensive
The Barrow Group Script Analysis
Upright Citizen’s Brigade, NY Improvisation
Second City, NY Improvisation
Just the Funny, Miami Improvisation I, II, and III
Brooke Thomas and Mary Egan Casting for Television
Armando Diaz, UCB Sketch Comedy Writing
STAND UP EXPERIENCE
NY Underground Comedy Festival
South Beach Comedy Festival
Los Angeles Comedy Festival
Montauk Comedy Festival
Boston Comedy Festival
ADDITIONAL
Comedic timing; facial expressions; Arabic accent; fluent Arabic and basic French; meringue; amusingly bad hip-hop; basketball; trumpet; and an overall
dandy fella.