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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #34

[Eat, Pray, Love] is about a newly divorced woman who travels the world on a journey to find herself. See that's the difference between men and women right there. Woman gets divorced, she travels the world to find herself. Guy gets divorced, he's traveled up the 5 to a studio apartment in Barstow, ok? (laughter) Yeah. Yeah yeah. She's in Italy eating Italian food; he's at The Olive Garden with a 20% off coupon. (laughter) OK?… (laughter)

-August 11, 2010

Twitterer of the Week: Michele Bachmann


Michele Bachmann is a celebrated performance artist whose controversial act gained widespread attention when she did a satirical piece referencing McCarthyism and its reflex in current political discourse. In a piece she did with Chris Matthews, she mocked Sarah Palin's paranoid campaign rhetoric about Barack Obama "palling around" with anti-American liberals like Saul Alinsky and Tony Rezko, the climactic point of the performance being a call for all anti-American senators and representatives to be exposed.

Even when she explained later that the comments should not be taken seriously, that she did not really mean them, and that Chris Matthews was in on the performance, many people still believed she had been expressing her actual views. In other performances she has parodied unfounded fears of mandatory re-education camps and an emerging global currency.

Her act is sophisticated and nuanced. Perhaps not since Andy Kaufman and his Tony Clifton character has there been a more controversial and confusing blurring of the lines between performance and lunacy.

Most Recent Tweet:
Four Older Tweets:

…at a Club Near Me

Podcasting pioneer and former Tonight Show opening act Jimmy Pardo will be performing at Crackers in Broad Ripple, next week Sept 8-11. Pardo's sniper-like delivery and selfless ability to laugh at others' jokes, make him both a good interviewer and interviewee. He can somehow come across as comfortable in his agitation. And that's how his stand-up feels too. In a very good way.

He has performed on Ferguson's Late Late Show, and had his own Comedy Central Presents special. He has appeared on Monk, Becker, That 70's Show, the early Téa Leoni vehicle, The Naked Truth and in Dreamgirls as "Comedian." Well, he didn't actually appear in that one. The scenes were cut. But he swears he was on set by invitation.

He has also hosted game shows, movie shows, and of course, his own pardcast, Never Not Funny.

Tom Segura will be performing this week, Wednesday thru Saturday, with Ari Shaffir middling.

Monday, August 30, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #33

We have Oscar winner Javier Bardem on the show tonight. (ecstatic cheers) He is in the movie, Eat, Pray, Love. (ecstatic cheers) Doesn't that sound like something that Arnold Schwarzenegger would say to Maria on a Sunday morning? [imitating Schwarzenegger] "Eat Pray Love!" Then you eat. First you eat, then you pray, then you love —Argh!" (laughter)

-August 12, 2010

Netflix Instant Nudge: Dana Gould - Let Me Put My Thoughts In You

Dana Gould is a bit absurdist, a bit storyteller, a bit impressionist, mostly caricaturist. He's one of the most complete acts working. Let Me Put My Thoughts In You, besides being wonderfully titled, is a good look at him.

His talent is splattered all over a full career. His early work on The Ben Stiller Show. His role as goofy co-worker Jimmy on the forgettable Working. His sad yet hilarious portrayal of Frankie on one episode of Seinfeld. His voices and writing and producing on The Simpsons.



That is another really weird thing I developed from my father: just this bizarre genetic inability to create muscle tone. I barely eat. I could do sit-ups all day. I stand up: I'm still built like a condom full of walnuts.

I rated this show positively a couple years ago, but only 3/5 stars. Watching it again, I'm changing that to 4/5. Greg Fitzsimmons has claimed that Bob Odenkirk's directing ruined the performance, and I might see what he's getting at. The camera zooms in and out. It pans across the stage. The audience's heads show-up on screen, even crossing Gould in parallax as the angle of the shot shifts. The audio has more echo than the smallish room needs. It's not bad direction, it's just a noticeably filmed set. I like that it highlights Gould's shifting and starting rhythm. There's a controlled mania there.

He talks about his racist father, his evil daughter, his liberal frustration, and he even talks about his own jokes. And Viagra.





Leukemia will still be there. Multiple sclerosis will be fine. We've gotta crack the old guy boner draught!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

This Week On The Shows: Aug 30-Sept 3


All guests as listed on shows' web sites at time of posting. Changes in schedule may be reflected in updates.

Friday, August 27, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #32

And TMZ is reporting that Kim Kardashian and…former boyfriend Reggie Bush got into a huge fight at a wedding reception…. It's a shame these two can't get along better. I mean they have so much in common. I mean they are both outstanding tailbacks don't you think? (groans and applause)

-August 11, 2010

Podcast of the Week: The Comedy Nerds

New York comedians, Dan McInerney and Dustin D'Addato have been doing The Comedy Nerds since mid-2008, focusing their show on topics and issues in comedy, more than looking at people and news. They do all of it, of course, but I appreciate the thematic direction.

Going thru my backlog of podcasts I came across an unheard (by me) episode from December of 2008: Hacks and Cheap Jokes. More than anything, the show is a good example of how hard it is to pin down claims of good-vs-cheap comedy. McInerney sets it all up with a good question his friend asked him: "What is the definition of hack? Or is it just anything you don't like?"

They underestimate fans of comedy by suggesting that hack is an "industry term" for a concept that doesn't occur to most audiences. D'Addato figures that few fans think beyond "that person is funny" and "that person's not funny." He adds "Most people aren't going to get too deeply into, you know, the theory about why a person's funny or not."

It is pretty common to see unexamined positive reactions to comedy. When it's funny, it just is. On the other hand, when a comedian isn't funny, almost everybody has a theory about why. The theories are usually full of holes, but that's no more common with the audience than with comics themselves.

D'Addato sets up a nice foundation for the definition of a hack comic. Basically, a comic that tells familiar jokes in a familiar way. This, of course, implicates every single comic at some point. And that's fine. Moshe Kasher, Andy Kindler, and George Carlin are not hacks. Their work is original, honest, and impressively effective. But if you're unwilling to say that some of their jokes are typical in style and content, you're just not being honest.

The discussion on the episode expands to movies, and McInerney stumbles a bit when he argues about the quality of specific films. He says of Airplane!

To me, you can just feel that the people who made Airplane! were just, were really into it and were just you know just love these dumb jokes and were like, 'Look at all these dumb jokes everybody. Isn't this so funny? Aren't we all just having fun?' Whereas like, those disaster movies just feel like cheap cash-ins, they feel really lazy.

D'Addato challenges that argument.

But are you sure that it's that and it's not just because at the time, that we were a little bit more just impressed with it at the time that it was happening? That we were younger and therefore more susceptible to laughing at those things? And now there's an establishment associated with it that there isn't associated with the disaster movies.

McInerney relies too much on quality being determined by his appreciation, or "feeling" about the comedy, but he does hint at the importance of originality. The argument of originality is always a tough one, and they try to tackle it, but that's one hefty beast that won't fall over. The secret to being original is probably just to get credit first. Or if you're second, to do it better. And "better" means…? Yeah. I'm not sure either.

They talk about Family Guy, hockey fights, and broad appeal. And they proclaim, very confidently, that "Dianne Wiest" is funnier than "Diane Keaton." Not as an actress. As a punchline.

Subscribe to The Comedy Nerds with iTunes.

Three Joining SNL Cast

The Comic's Comic reports that sources are confirming Paul Brittain, Vanessa Bayer, and Taran Killam as new cast members for the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live.

Brittain is a Chicago based comedian, who has worked with the iO comedy team, Mike Helicopter, also teaching at the theater. He has worked with the Second City and the Annoyance Theater. He also did his solo show, Sex Ed, at the TBS Just For Laughs Festival.
Bayer, a Cleveland native, is now based in Chicago, working with the iO team Revolver, the Annoyance Theater, and The Second City Touring Company. She has interned at Conan O'Brien's NBC gig, and on Sesame Street!
Killam might look familiar from his work on MADtv, How I Met your Mother, one of the strange incarnations of Scrubs, and plenty other television appearances. He is also a member of The Groundlings.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #31

Naomi Campbell [is] testifying at the war crimes trial of the former liberian president…Charles Taylor. …It's over what they call conflict diamonds. Apparently she got them from Taylor. He was trying to impress her. You know what those are, conflict diamonds? Those are diamonds that are sold to fund wars. They call them blood diamonds. That's what it's about. Don't confuse those with conflict zirconium. No No. No. (laughter) That's a conflict that develops after your wife finds out the diamond you bought is really a cubic zirconium. That starts another war completely. (laughter) That is a whole different war. A different war. (applause)

-August 10, 2010

Rockin' Robin/Smells Like Teen Spirit

when Weird Al points to a good music mashup, people should listen:

Will Forte Leaving SNL

Will Forte has announced that he is leaving Saturday Night Live. He will not be with the show when the new season begins this fall. He has been with the show since 2002, starting as a featured player, then moving up to a regular.

Forte's characters were often strange and hard to describe. He's probably best known for MacGruber, but to me he'll alway be Tim Calhoun. The Calhoun character was probably the best example of how delivery was as much a part of his humor as the writing. And how can you beat a line like a politician campaigning with "There are times when I'm not gay at all"?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #30

Hey this is kinda serious. Physicist—you know Stephen Hawking?—Stephen Hawking's now warning that if [the] human race doesn't colonize other planets, we will become extinct. You know, I know Hawking's a genius, but has colonizing ever worked? If we took over another planet, you know what would happen: We'd feel guilty. We'd make up for it by giving the original inhabitants casinos. We'd lose all our money. We'd be right back where we started again. (light laughter and applause) Exactly. Exactly. It doesn't work.

-August 9, 2010

Video Bit of the Week: Umbilical Brothers

I first saw this on an HBO Sketch Pad episode/special back around 2002. It was about half as long and didn't include the last segment. I like it without it, but some of the timing and balance on this one is very good.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #29

You know, it's all about jobs. That's what it is. "Jobs" is the issue. And this recession has hit Las Vegas especially hard. I read today lap dancers say they're making half of what they used to make. (laughter) Well you know what that means? A lot of these young women are gonna have to give up their dream of finishing college. You know it's just… (laughter and applause)

-July 28, 2010

Twitterer of the Week: Wendy Liebman

Wendy Liebman is probably best known for her one liners that work by changing meaning halfway through the sentence. That's a pretty standard structure for jokes, but much of Liebman's material stands out as particularly bound within the sentence.

Instead of a second sentence that explains a change in the meaning of "take my wife" or "…in my pajamas," Liebman just adds a phrase or a word or even half a word that completes the meaning differently from how you thought it was going to go. "…he really wanted me—to shut up." "I'm going out with a guy who has a five-year-old—mentality." "I have 3 older sisters. … My mother never said it, but I think she always wanted a boy—friend."

She has appeared on Carson, Letterman, Ferguson, Leno, Rosie O'Donnell, Kilborn, and all their shows. Her credits go on for so long that they need little mention.

Her tweets aren't all one-liners.

And it's recently come to my attention that she's got great taste in Twitter jokes.


Most Recent Tweet*:
Four Older Tweets:

*For the sake of relevance, I don't list ReTweets unless they have some comment from the person I'm talking about.

Monday, August 23, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #28

Well you know, today, the same day that this new anti-immigration law went into effect, Arizona made it legal to carry a concealed weapon without any training or a permit. So if you're illegal, working the nightshift at the Phoenix Walmart to support your family, get the hell out of there! (laughter) O my god! (cheers)

-July 29, 2010

Netflix Instant Nudge: The First Howie Mandel Special

Don't expect watching this HBO special to be easy. It's full of spasms, puns, prop comedy, crowd-work, and fart jokes. On top of all that, Howie Mandel's delivery makes Mitch Fatell sound like Jeremy Irons.

The special came out in 1983. Bob(cat) Goldthwait was on the rise around then. Their deliveries are fascinating artifacts of the time. But before we blame the era, just keep in mind a few other acts that were big at the time.

What's most fascinating about the video, is the crowd. You have some obvious fans who give entrance applause to some of Mandel's characters. (You might recognize the character Bobby, who made it to cartoonland.) And they keep up their energy and give constant approval. Whatever hunks of meat he throws their way, they gobble up hungrily. But if you look carefully, you'll see a few people in the crowd who look annoyed by the whole act.

I first saw this when I was about 11 years old. And his later Carnegie Hall special, with pretty much the same material, inspired me to write some of my own material and practice it in front of a mirror. I was only 12 or 13, but even at that young age I should have known better. I'm pretty much convinced that I was inspired by the evidence that all it takes is a squeaky voice. And at 12, I still had that. I think I even tried copying Mandel's strange hand twist. Which he does from start to finish. Through. The entire. Special.

The show really isn't pretty. So why am I recommending it? Never forget. Don't ever forget.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

This Week On The Shows: August 23-27

  • Monday
  • Tuesday
    • Fallon: Steve Carell (1st guest)

  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
    • Fallon: Denis Leary (1st guest)

  • Friday
    • Leno: Seth Meyers (1st guest)
    • Fallon: J.B. Smoove

All guests as listed on shows' web sites at time of posting. Changes in schedule may be reflected in updates.

Friday, August 20, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #27

Well, the folks at Carl's Jr. restaurant are testing a new menu item: the Footlong Cheeseburger. (audience groans) You know, how fat are we getting in this country, huh? (laughter) We're buying our food by the foot now? "Yeah, give me a footlong cheeseburger. Give me 10 feet of fries, two yards of pizza…" (light laughter)

-July 13, 2010

Podcast of the Week: WTF with Marc Maron - 100th Episode

Marc Maron's WTF podcast has dropped 100 episodes. He started putting them out in September of last year, and through all the changes, he has consistently produced provocative, entertaining and engaging shows. It's one of two podcasts that I started listening to from the beginning and of which I've not missed an episode. For the 100th episode celebration Maron put out a special version. A quick synopsis:

He talks about his root canal.

He gives a brief history of the show and its origins, going back to the event that started it all: losing his job at Air America but keeping his security pass card. Guerrilla podcasting.

Several letters, including one from a reader who supports Maron's Nerd Cock campaign and who quotes Brecht and Aristotle, but sounds more pleased to be quoting himself. The listener writes proudly, like that student in every one of my composition classes that has been told for way too long that he's smart. The kid that makes me want to stab him just for using words like be-logo-ed and phrases like "oral-tract-turned-product"—instead of just writing "podcast".

Maron makes a plea (sponsored by Adam & Eve) for his readers to masturbate so that he doesn't feel guilty and alone.

On the tail end of that, we listen in on a tender conversation with his mother, who asks him if the girl he's dating has graduated high school yet. Then a conversation with his father, who says he's been too busy to listen to a single episode, then gives a quick goodbye and hangs up.

We meet the former stalker who has become his girlfriend, and we hear from several other folks.

Maron is a smart guy. A funny guy. In the top half of my top-five list of all stand-ups. But sometimes he makes me laugh not on purpose. Like the comment he makes to an Asian fan:

"You have no accent... and you grew up with Chinese speaking parents. That's amazing!" Yep. It's amazing how easily little Chinese babies learn to suppress their Chinese accent when they're born and raised in America.

Later, he adds, "He was set free from his ancient past and language and he's just like me." Those ancient cultures and languages, that billions of people still live in and speak.

It's a good episode. He sounds genuinely pleased to still be doing the podcast. And he promises he's in it for a while. Maron knowingly approaches vulnerability on the stage and on WTF. His fans are devoted to and invested in his story. It's easy to see why so many think they know him, understand him, and perhaps that he even knows them. That he's talking just to them.

In closing, biannual can mean either twice a year, or every two years. Unfortunately, given the context of the story when it comes up during this episode, either meaning is pretty tragic.

For a few of you readers who might be interested, Maron promises a forthcoming update on the Jomance. The Joe Wagner bromance that was introduced in episode 90.




Subscribe to WTF with iTunes

(all photos from the WTF website)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #26

O I love this story…my favorite news story of the day: A New Mexico man is OK after setting fire to his wooden leg with his crack pipe. OK. (laughter) now that's when you know you're smoking too much crack, OK, (laughter) when the the pipe gets so hot "Aaaaah!" (laughter) your leg catches fire.

-July 30, 2010

I'm Guessing You Don't Know Don Gavin

I really hope you think it's ridiculous that I chose to profile Don Gavin as a start-up stand-up. Because he's a veteran. And he's well-known. And he probably looks familiar even to a lot of people who don't follow stand-up. But he's far less familiar than he should be.

Remember the feeling you had as a little kid when your favorite quarterback would get in the game and you just knew that he was going to take over and win it? Remember how you knew that he didn't make mistakes? And even if something went wrong he was going to fix it. He'd do a magic trick if he had to. He was going to get that first down.

That's Gavin on stage. Watching the control he has over his set: the timing, the arc, the writing, the personality… every stand-up could learn from him. And it's frustrating that he's not a household name in comedy. But comedians know him. He's a cornerstone of the Boston circuit. He's The Gahdfathah.

His jokes are a lot like one liners, but he has the most fluid and storyform delivery of one-liners that I've ever heard. He goes from one joke right to the next giving each one just the daylight it needs so that it hits.

I don't want to pick any other comic. But you know that one that everyone says is funny? The one that's so popular and considered a comic genius by People Magazine? He's no Don Gavin.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #25

I guess [Senator Charlie] Rangel has been accused of 13 ethics violations. But…see, politicians… his explanation was, yes, but he may have just been overzealous in serving the public. Have you ever felt a politician was overzealous helping you? Really? (light laughter) Maybe overzealous lying to you maybe, but… (light laughter)

-July 30, 2010

Video Bit of the Week: Nick Griffin

Nick Griffin has appeared several times on Letterman as well as on Craig Ferguson's little cavalcade. He's a dark comic with some horribly stark views on marriage, happiness, and success. And he's great.

When he did a set for Letterman, they took a look at a line in his set: "…because young girls are filled with sugar and spice and everything nice; and I'm filled with anger and semen and shame", and asked/told him to change "semen" to "prozac". Wouldn't that be a convenient trick. If you watch the video, you'll notice what is probably a stutter before he adjusts to the changed line.

Griffin is probably never going to be happy. And there's nothing we can do about that. One of his best jokes is a response to his date telling him he's just afraid of his feelings. "No, I'm afraid of your feelings. I've got pills for my feelings."

The following was recorded in the West Palm Beach airport while waiting for a flight. Something about it makes me really want to pursue this stand-up thing.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #24

As you know, Lindsay [Lohan] was released from jail the other night, 1:35 in the morning…She was sentenced to 90 days in jail but she only served 13. Authorities said she was released early for good behavior. And today Snooki said "Good behavior? What's that?" She didn't seem to understand. (light laughter)

-August 3, 2010

Twitterer of the Week: Jamie Kilstein

Jamie Kilstein is a good comedian, but his tweets probably won't make you laugh so often. He's a very political, very passionate, very sarcastic performer. Take the content of his act, subtract the form of humor, and you've got his twitter feed.

He posts a lot of updates about Citizen Radio—which he cohosts with his wife, Allison Kilkenny—and speaks pretty earnestly about his days and his beliefs. If you're a liberal, or if you just want to keep a watchful eye on one, follow him.

N.b. He tweets a lot. And if you follow a lot of the same people he follows, your timeline will be buzzing all day.

Most Recent Tweet:
Four Older Tweets:

Monday, August 16, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #23

Chelsea's wedding is this weekend. Yeah. (hoots and applause) Chelsea's wedding. Doesn't that sound like the ultimate chick flick? (light laughter) Didn't Julia Roberts marry Hugh Grant or something in that one there? (light laughter) Chelsea's Wedding. Sounds like it should be on a double bill with The Notebook. Yeah. (light laughter)

-July 30, 2010

Netflix Instant Nudge: Richard Pryor

Nothing new here. And if you like stand-up, you should have seen these already. Two Richard Pryor concerts are available: Live on the Sunset Strip, and Here and Now.

I can't recommend one over the other. Sunset Strip, recorded in 1982, is a slicker performance with a more cooperative audience. They respond well to the rhythm of his performance and they know when to be quiet. It goes smoothly.

Here and Now, filmed in 1983 is in front of a New Orleans crowd that tries to interact with Pryor a little too much. Some people in the audience challenge Pryor's claim that he's sober, and they interrupt some of his moments with nervous energy. His attempts to create the image of man broken by drugs is cracked by applause and some awkward laughter. Pryor stays in character, tho the line is sometimes hard to see.

At some points he gets a little aggressive with his responses, but he never loses the audience.

These performances were filmed after Pryor, while freebasing cocaine, set himself on fire. In Sunset Strip he tells the story, and even ends with a joke I remember laughing about with my elementary school friends.

Here and Now is often referred to as a combination of documentary and performance. It's really just a performance with a slightly extended behind the scenes intro.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

This Week On The Shows: August 16-20

  • Monday
    • Ø

  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
    • Leno: Don Rickles (1st guest)

  • Thursday
  • Friday
    • Leno: Wanda Sikes (1st guest)

All guests as listed on shows' web sites at time of posting. Changes in schedule may be reflected in updates.

Friday, August 13, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #22

Hey, you know that cap BP put on the well? Federal officials have now detected seepage. See, I'm not sure what seepage is but it it doesn't sound good, does it? (light laughter) Sounds like that warning on the side of the bag of potato chips that have Olestra, you know? (laughter) Eww, may cause seepage (laughter) Eww I don't know what that is. Just sounds yeah, eww…don't like the sound of that. (applause)

-July 19, 2010

Podcast of the Week: Comedy and Everything Else with guest Kyle Cease

Episodes 101 and 102 of Comedy and Everything Else focus on Kyle Cease and his controversial Stand-Up Boot Camp. If you're going to put in the 3.5 hours to listen to the two CaEE episodes, read Doug Stanhope's tirade first. His blog post was what put Cease's project on the map. Or perhaps, on the battlefield.

Cease has seen success in the comedy business. He did a Comedy Central Presents half-hour special in 2006. In 2007 he did a full-hour special: Weirder. Blacker. Dimpler. He has acted in 10 Things I Hate About You and in Not Another Teen Movie. He's happy with his career right now, and the tone of the interview gives the impression that he's pretty happy with himself.

He claims that along the way he's learned some things and has come to some realizations about writing and performing comedy. Now he's simply looking to share his insight with people who can learn from it. He and stand-up veteran Louie Anderson are partners in the adventure.

The repeated point that Jimmy Dore, running the interview, seems intent on making, is that comedy is learned by getting on stage. Cease keeps pushing the idea that his experience, if carefully conceived and presented, can be helpful to young comedians. Dore conducts the interview in pretty fair manner, tho his approach gets increasingly antagonistic—that's fine, and still fair—and even strays into ridicule and buckshot arguments. He's a comic and ridicule is expected. But as far as an argument or actual commentary on Cease's claims, it loses strength.

He picks on the Boot Camp video (a marketing device) pointing out some short bits and claims that might be misunderstood by the poor naïve and unsophisticated neophytes trying to start off in the business. That verges on nitpicking, detracting from the more important question of what the class might offer.

Dore's demands, that Cease prove his class is necessary, miss the point. He goes several times to the argument that Cease can't name a single successful comic who took a stand-up class, as if such evidence is necessary to make the point that his class offers something worthwhile.

JD: "Everything you learned, … you learned it being a stand-up, right?"

KC: "I learned it being a stand-up, but there's no harm in sharing it with young comics."

JD: "I agree. I agree."

Cease believes in positive thinking and growth thru visualization. Dore claims to, also.

At one point he pushes Cease. "You know this video, if you weren't in it, would be something that you would be making fun of." Cease doesn't know if that's true. And Dore, a very good, very funny comedian who's material and perspective rely on sharp sarcasm and the cutting ridicule of assumptions, spends more of the interview than he needs to, trying to win that point.

…at a Club Near Me

Tickets go on sale today for Brian Regan's show at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, Saturday, October 23.

Regan is so good, that if you don't like him, I won't say you're wrong, but I'll think less of you. I'll still love you, but I'll pray for your soul.


Prices for all seating locations is $37.50 plus a Convenience Charge of $12.50. Sometimes I wish tickets weren't so damned convenient.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #21

For her reality show—you know: Kate Plus 8?—Kate Gosselin and her kids are going up to Alaska to go camping with Sarah Palin. I just hope kate doesn't get to close to Levi Johnston or it'll be Kate Plus 9.

-July 23, 2010

I'm Guessing You Don't Know Joff Thompson

A few years ago, Joff Thompson, a DJ and writer/performer, started a blog, "Can I make it as a stand-up comedian?" He's still posting videos on his YouTube channel; the most recent stand-up clips were posted about 10 months ago.

Of one of his clips, on the difference between men and women dancing, he writes "I'm not sure it was worth all the energy going by the lukewarm response it got. Still, you have to try these things!" I'd agree that it probably wasn't worth the energy. And I'd agree that you should try everything you think is funny.

Fortunately he's not limited to high-energy clowning. He has some good simple jokes and a good delivery once he catches his breath. Some of these jokes deserve the space to hit home. Some pauses and the occasional stab.

I don't know to what extent he's still pursuing stand-up. Based on what I've seen, I can't imagine that he has determined the answer to his blog's title is 'no.' Maybe just, 'it'll be a while.' The question is, does he want to keep working on it?

He posted this clip in 2008. He calls it his "second ever stand up gig." Not bad.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #20

A new study shows that teenagers and young adults are not reading newspapers. They say young people do not read newspapers at all. You know what that means: George bush was ahead of his time. He's hip now (laughter) He's in with the young people. (applause)

-July 19, 2010

Free Comedy Noise

Surf, don't walk, to Rooftop Comedy to get a free comedy sampler thru iTunes. The 11-track sampler brings together 11 comics for just over a half-hour of comedy. Included in the mix are Moshe Kasher, Pat Dixon, and the official 2nd-funniest person in the world, Tommy Johnagin.

All you have to give them is your name and email address. If you haven't already set up an extra email account for such occasions, you don't know how to do this wide world of the web thing.

Video Bit of the Week

Of the final 5 comics on LCS the most constrained was definitely Mike DeStefano. And it was no secret. He talked about murder and sex and violence and drugs and hatred, and we know that network television likes to pretend none of those exist… except murder and violence and drugs and hatred.

Even when the networks allow those topics, they smother them in so much padding and double entendre that it all sounds the same.

So this is what happens to DeStefano's act when he doesn't have to worry about the censors. He does pad it a little by saying "c-word" and "n-word" there a couple times. But let's not rush to call him a family act.

Greg Fitzsimmons' Book Ominously Close

Greg Fitzsimmons, host of his self-named show on Howard 101 on Sirius, and his own podcast since August 2009, has written a book titled Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons, a collection of letters his mother saved, written to her by the authority figures who saw little Greg getting in trouble.

Fitzsimmons has launched a website for the book, and he's asking his listeners and fans to submit their own stories of trouble, mayhem, and—if enough time has passed—tragedy. He hopes the site will be "a forum for everyone."

Fitzsimmons won four Emmys for writing and producing "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." They were Daytime Emmys, but how many of those have you won?

The book, published by Simon & Schuster, comes out November 9th.

Available for pre-order at

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #19

Detroit Lions team president, Tom Lewand's been arrested for drunk driving. They say he [has] been drinking pretty heavily. But then again, he's the president of the Lions. Can you blame the man? (laughter and applause)

-July 23, 2010

Twitterer of the Week: Anthony Jeselnik

Anthony Jeselnik was a writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, until he left in March of 2010 to pursue his own stand-up career. His comedy is offensive, bitter, and very well crafted. His ability to conceive a tight joke is perfect for Twitter.

He also has the distinction of winning Doug Benson's "Leonard Maltin Game" (over Rob Huebel) by identifying a movie having been given the following 3 clues:
  • The movie came out in 1998
  • It was a disaster movie
  • In his review, Maltin wrote about one performer in the movie that she "seems a bit of a flyweight as [an] ambitious TV newswoman."
…then identifying the 2nd movie with the following three clues:
  • It was a disaster movie.
  • It was released in 2006
  • Maltin wrote in his review: "its characters are flat and uninteresting."
Jeselnik claims he never saw either movie.

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Monday, August 09, 2010

He's Known for His Monologue #18

Marine biologists in Australia have set up a Great White Shark attack warning system. When a shark is swimming near the beach you will get a text message on your phone. Well, you know what's going to happen here: As soon as the sharks hear about this they'll send their own messages "oh, the water's great, come on down." (laughter)

-July 26, 2010

Last Comic Standing Finale

I'm really just curious to see what format they choose for the reveal. So far, the producers have been clueless about creating a natural tension. That's fine, if they're not going for tension. But they are.

Tuxedos? Really?

5th Place: Myq Kaplan. A surprise really.

Hey, if you win LCS you can perform on future finales of LCS!

I'm not getting the Craig Robinson montage. Is it really necessary to show clips of him saying 'Welcome to Last Comic Standing!'? Gloria Gaynor's surprise appearance would have been a great opportunity for her to introduce her second song. And when will white people learn how to dance without doing the duck-and-weave boxing move?

Andy Kindler is a pretty good comic. Kid's got a future.

Unfortunately, 4th place finisher Mike DeStefano has no future. You can't say "Fuck You" to America and win the hearts of my aunt and her water aerobics class. That's where the votes come from, and votes are what make a comedy career.

These "History of Last Comic Standing" clips are painful. I've only been watching for 49 minutes and I already feel like the second hour has gone on too long.

Natasha Leggero's act challenges the notion that the crowd has to like the character. I like watching comedians who don't try to get the audience on their side. It's more textured, it's riskier, it's just more interesting. And it runs the risk of people saying 'She seems so stuck up!' And it's important to get people who think like that to reveal themselves.

Kurt Metzger's best joke about Michael Jackson's death was certainly deserving of a rubber chicken painted gold.

Greg Giraldo's act goes back to some older material, but almost looked in a couple spots like he was forgetting his jokes or like he'd screwed up the setup. I half suspect that I'm trying awkwardly to fit Giraldo's act into a primetime showcase. On another stage, I think I'd see him—with the same rhythm—as being more on top of it, even when it's wobbling. He's so good, the only thing I wonder, when he's on network, is if he's about to take the lid off and burn his corporate bridges.

Roy Wood Jr. finishes 3rd, and I'm really surprised by the final two. Felipe Esparza and Tommy Johnagin: Of the final 5, these are definitely the two on opposite edges.

Kathy Griffin is great with audiences. She's such a spunky gal.

Esparza's and Johnagin's last sets are a bit of a twist. Esparza was much more in control of his pace and character, and Johnagin didn't deliver his best material or performance. Nobody's voting on these performances of course.

Congratulations to… Doug Benson for establishing a fine career after losing on season 4.

…and to Felipe Esparza for taking Season 7.