A Selective Guide to the Arts in Los Angeles

Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues & Comedy Club is set to relaunch at its new venue at 501 S. Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles with its First Annual Blues & Comedy Festival on Friday, Nov. 9, and Saturday, Nov. 10. Read more from the following excerpt from their website: www.bluesandcomedy.com.

The festival will culminate in a Grand Opening Gala on Saturday night, a red carpet event to celebrate the relaunch of the club’s repositioned identity as Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues & Comedy Club, which has been operating in downtown Los Angeles since 2007 but as The Downtown Comedy Club. The new identity better positions the club with its owner and host Garrett Morris, as well as branding it with the melodic Blues arrangements that will be a staple of the club’s presentations.

Headlining the First Annual Blues & Comedy Festival is Luenell, who can be seen just about everywhere you look on the silver screen and on television. The Original Bad Girl of Comedy, Luenell is currently featured in the box office hits “Hotel Transylvania” and “Taken 2” and co-stars on the television series “DTLA” on Logo Network. She also recently made a guest appearance on “FOX NFL Sunday,” America’s top-rated NFL pregame show.

No stranger to Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues & Comedy Club, Luenell “made it” during her two-year tour with Katt Williams and her subsequent DVD appearances in Katt Williams’ “American Hustle.” She also appeared in feature films “I Hate You Dad” with Adam Sandler and Leighton Meester and “Think Like a Man” with Arielle Kebell and Meagan Good. Luenell ‘s recent television appearances include roles in episodes of “The Middle” and “Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

“I have performed at Garrett’s club so many times and I enjoy myself every time I’m there,” said Luenell. “The vibe of the club is just so powerful, and now with their stronger emphasis of mixing on these great Blues performers, it’s just a fabulous idea and a unique experience that will be a must-see here in Los Angeles. Plus, with Garrett performing and singing, I even catch myself just watching the show mystified at his talent and energy. He truly is an entertainment legend.”

But Luenell will not be the only star taking the stage during the First Annual Blues & Comedy Festival. Joining Luenell will be Brett Butler, Jennifer Coolidge, Jonathan Kite, Justin Hires, Ron G., Vicki Barbolak, Leonard Robinson, and many more special guest appearances. Joining those talented comics will be The Deacon Jones Blues Band and The Martin Guigui All Star Blues Band.

Coolidge and Kite will be making special appearances in support of Morris, their co-star on the CBS hit series “2 Broke Girls.”

“We love Garrett and really want to help him launch this beautiful new venue in huge way,” said Kite. “Every actor or actress loves to get on stage in front of people, and doing this type of performance is really going back to our roots for many of us. I can’t wait, and I expect this Blues and Comedy Festival to be a great time.”

The Blues & Comedy Festival kicks off on Friday, Nov. 9, at 9 p.m. Saturday’s red carpet gala will begin an hour earlier at 8 p.m. Tickets for each night are $20.

However, the first show to open Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues & Comedy Club will be Justin Hires’ Hire Level Thursdays show on Thursday, Nov. 8. That show starts at 9 p.m. and features the multi-talented actor, comedian, and writer Hires and some of the best and brightest young comics and performers on the scene. Hires is the self-proclaimed “future of comedy and entertainment” and can currently be seen in Columbia Pictures’ box office hit feature film “21 Jump Street” alongside Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

Hire Level Thursdays will be a new weekly addition to the traditional Friday and Saturday lineups of stand-up acts. Tickets for Hire Level Thursdays are just $10.

For more information or to order tickets to the Blues & Comedy Festival at Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues & Comedy Club, visit www.bluesandcomedy.com or call (213) 841-3940.