the comic's comictag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-14907542009-12-10T07:30:54-05:00From the back of the room to your room, the definitive guide to comedy.TypePadJim Norton owns up to his body issues & acting skills in modeling audition for Calvin Kleintag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a6788330120a73d0ebb970b2009-12-10T07:30:54-05:002009-12-10T07:30:54-05:00Jim Norton's "Uninvited Guest" segments for Jay Leno's primetime NBC show have been revealing for various reasons. Last night, he took it a little bit more literally when he poked fun at his body issues and his acting skills, describing...Sean L. McCarthy
Jim Norton's "Uninvited Guest" segments for Jay Leno's primetime NBC show have been revealing for various reasons. Last night, he took it a little bit more literally when he poked fun at his body issues and his acting skills, describing how his manager sent him recently to audition for a Calvin Klein modeling gig. Norton is 41, and also about to celebrate 20 years as a stand-up comedy. Why this clip cuts out less than a minute from the end is unknown to me? Did NBC think that after hearing Norton describe his physique in detail, that the final minute was going too far? Hmmm. Roll the clip!
The "dramatic" conclusion in which Norton talks about his strategy for taking off his shirt in front of a lady is here:
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/jim-norton-owns-up-to-his-body-issues-acting-skills-in-modeling-audition-for-calvin-klein.htmlWatch Neil Diamond's music video that covers Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a6788330120a738a6a0970b2009-12-09T16:27:56-05:002009-12-09T16:27:56-05:00Every so often, a comedian decides to sing; and of course, there's a whole genre of musical comedians who do only that. But it's quite rare to find a comedian have one of his or her songs covered by an...Sean L. McCarthy
Every so often, a comedian decides to sing; and of course, there's a whole genre of musical comedians who do only that. But it's quite rare to find a comedian have one of his or her songs covered by an even more famous singer. Such was the case, we learned this fall, with Neil Diamond performing a cover version of Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song," which you may recall first seeing and hearing on Saturday Night Live, and then every December since on your radio. It's on Diamond's new Christmas disc, "A Cherry Cherry Christmas," and now we have an official music video for it. Would you have guessed that it's animated? Roll it! Happy Holidays...
Oh, and here is Sandler performing his song live years ago:
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/watch-neil-diamonds-music-video-that-covers-adam-sandlers-chanukah-song.htmlPauly Shore sues his brother over who's minding The Comedy Storetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a6788330128763910f6970c2009-12-09T10:56:26-05:002009-12-09T10:57:10-05:00Pauly Shore filed a lawsuit on Monday against his brother, Peter, over actions involving the family's treatment of the comedy family's matriarch, Mitzi Shore, and the ownership of The Comedy Store. RadarOnline talked to patriarch Sammy Shore about it yesterday,...Sean L. McCarthy
Pauly Shore filed a lawsuit on Monday against his brother, Peter, over actions involving the family's treatment of the comedy family's matriarch, Mitzi Shore, and the ownership of The Comedy Store. RadarOnline talked to patriarch Sammy Shore about it yesterday, and posted the Shore family lawsuit online (misspelling Pauly's name as Pauley!). It looks like nasty stuff -- family lawsuits always are, it seems -- and among the business contentions, Pauly alleged that Peter tried to (or did) have him removed from The Comedy Store's board of directors.
Sammy tried to put the best spin on it for Radar, telling them: “When there is a family business there’s always gonna be problems,” Sammy explained. “This law suit is just a family feud. It will be over in a few weeks, I’m sure of it.” Pauly's reps told the tabloid mag that "this is a personal family matter that will be handled privately."
Pauly previously had tried making the family business very public through his reality TV series, Minding The Store, which had a brief run on TBS in 2005.
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/pauly-shore-sues-his-brother-over-whos-minding-the-comedy-store.htmlComedy Central returns to South Beach Comedy Festival, and you could win a trip to theretag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a678833012876311540970c2009-12-08T12:04:48-05:002009-12-08T12:04:48-05:00Are you cold where you are? Right now, the answer is most probably yes. Well, then, here's something to heat up your winter: Comedy Central is returning to South Beach -- Miami-style -- for another edition of its South Beach...Sean L. McCarthy
Are you cold where you are? Right now, the answer is most probably yes. Well, then, here's something to heat up your winter: Comedy Central is returning to South Beach -- Miami-style -- for another edition of its South Beach Comedy Festival from Jan. 21-23, 2010. And you could win yourself a VIP travel package to the festival, if you remember to go to the South Beach Comedy Festival Sweepstakes site and enter by noon Dec. 9, 2009.
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/comedy-central-returns-to-south-beach-comedy-festival-and-you-could-win-a-trip-to-there.htmlLaughing Skull Comedy Festival seeks submissions in Atlanta, names names in revealing prizestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a67883301287630cd49970c2009-12-08T10:53:38-05:002009-12-08T10:53:38-05:00The new Laughing Skull Comedy Festival wants you to submit to their inaugural fest in Atlanta, and one way they're getting your attention (and mine) is by naming names in saying what the winner will get -- booked gigs from...Sean L. McCarthy
The new Laughing Skull Comedy Festival wants you to submit to their inaugural fest in Atlanta, and one way they're getting your attention (and mine) is by naming names in saying what the winner will get -- booked gigs from several people, all of whom are named on the festival's home page.
So when they say that "everyone who makes the semi-finals gets their tape seen by 75+ comedy bookers and agents around the US and Canada, and the winner gets over 6 months of work!", you actually believe them. The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival will take place March 3-7, 2010, at the club in Atlanta. Here's the full schedule, which also includes fun and games outside of the comedy club. Where do I sign up? For you, submissions are accepted until Dec. 31, 2009. Go here and follow the instructions.
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/laughing-skull-comedy-festival-seeks-submissions-in-atlanta-names-names-in-revealing-prizes.htmlKurt Braunohler helps you survive the holidays with new shows, videostag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a67883301287629bcde970c2009-12-07T17:02:28-05:002009-12-07T17:02:28-05:00Just in time for the holidays, comedian Kurt Braunohler unveils a four-week comedy showcase, a new one-man show, and a series of videos for Comedy Central? We speak the truth! Braunohler's stand-up showcase, "The Inevitable," kicks off tonight at Union...Sean L. McCarthy
Just in time for the holidays, comedian Kurt Braunohler unveils a four-week comedy showcase, a new one-man show, and a series of videos for Comedy Central? We speak the truth!
Braunohler's stand-up showcase, "The Inevitable," kicks off tonight at Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and runs Mondays through Dec. 28. His one-man show, "Autumn at the Chuckle Shack," will be at the UCB Theatre on two Wednesdays, Dec. 9 and Dec. 23. He describes it as "lots of things, including: birds, libraries, toilets, bar fights, guitars, and yelling. And how I looked like a lesbian when I was 12 years old." And his "Holiday Survival Guide" includes four videos for Comedy Central and Southern Comfort. Here's one of Braunohler talking cookies with Scrooge. Roll it!
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/kurt-braunohler-helps-you-survive-the-holidays-with-new-shows-videos.htmlSee Todd Barry on his New England tour, or bid to have him call you at Comedy Death-Ray in L.A.!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a67883301287626f9b8970c2009-12-07T14:47:31-05:002009-12-07T14:47:31-05:00Todd Barry is launching a four-city tour of New England this week, just in time for the holidays. That's why, isn't it, Todd? Here's what he told me: "I got an offer to do the Allston club, so I just...Sean L. McCarthy
Todd Barry is launching a four-city tour of New England this week, just in time for the holidays. That's why, isn't it, Todd? Here's what he told me:
"I got an offer to do the Allston club, so I just told my booking agent to 'run wild' and book some other stuff around it. I probably didn't phrase it that way, but you get the idea. I'm pretty excited about the tour, because all the cities are just a few hours apart, so I can do some of my famous "after-show partying," and then sleep late, before conquering the next town."
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/see-todd-barry-on-his-new-england-tour-or-bid-to-have-him-call-you-at-comedy-deathray-in-la.htmlWatch the trailer for Kids In The Hall's "Death Comes To Town"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a67883301287625b46d970c2009-12-07T13:35:52-05:002009-12-07T13:35:52-05:00Coming to Canada's CBC-TV on Jan. 12, 2010 (and America when????), it's the new eight-part miniseries from beloved comedy troupe Kids In The Hall, Death Comes to Town. A trailer went up recently on the CBC site, but here's something...Sean L. McCarthy
Coming to Canada's CBC-TV on Jan. 12, 2010 (and America when????), it's the new eight-part miniseries from beloved comedy troupe Kids In The Hall, Death Comes to Town. A trailer went up recently on the CBC site, but here's something more to chew on, thanks to Funny or Die. Roll it!
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/watch-the-trailer-for-kids-in-the-halls-death-comes-to-town.htmlTruth in advertising? Robin Williams, "Weapons of Self-Destruction" (HBO), in reviewtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a678833012876258263970c2009-12-07T13:26:49-05:002009-12-07T14:32:16-05:00After reading David Itzkoff's recent New York Times profile on Robin Williams, the comedian's latest HBO stand-up special, Weapons of Self-Destruction, came off as a bit of a letdown when it debuted last night. I wished Williams had left in...Sean L. McCarthy
After reading David Itzkoff's recent New York Times profile on Robin Williams, the comedian's latest HBO stand-up special, Weapons of Self-Destruction, came off as a bit of a letdown when it debuted last night. I wished Williams had left in more of the darker, personal material that Itzkoff saw on his tour.
Instead, after the first few minutes onstage at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C., in which Williams opened with topical material (Oprah "quitting" her talk-show) and crowd work with latecomers in the audience, he veered into well-worn joke territory. How well-worn? He told the joke about the difference between redneck divorce and tornados/hurricanes -- "someone's losing a trailer!" -- and then hacked on about the naming of hurricanes. About 15 minutes in, though, he did start talking about his personal life -- he had open heart surgery earlier in the year (which, non-fun-fact, my mom experienced on Election Day 2008, never forget!) -- and that seemed much more compelling. From an introductory joke about getting an angiogram -- "Who knew the way to a man's heart was through his groin?" -- into noting that he was taking the same medication that Michael Jackson had been taking for fun, you thought you were getting something more. Of course, then he told Clinton jokes (in a bit about someone just now waking up from a 10-year-long medication), and after some Sarah Palin jokes (I did like him saying, "How did they find her? Was it Project Running Mate?"), he went for Jack Nicholson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in that, he even does the now quite-old joke about wondering who will build his immigration wall. Then there's bits about methane cars, confusion over people talking on bluetooths, Twitter, video games and masturbation, Doc Ellis' LSD no-hitter (enhanced by HBO visual effects). About an hour into the 90-minute special, Williams becomes more uniquely interesting, but then he closes (as he is wont to do) with a routine about sexual organs. You've read my take on it. Now here's the buzz from Williams himself. Roll the clip!
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/12/truth-in-advertising-robin-williams-weapons-of-selfdestruction-hbo-in-review.htmlSNL #35.8 with Blake Lively, Rihannatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ed02a6788330128761f0e74970c2009-12-06T09:03:00-05:002009-12-06T09:16:47-05:00I had my hopes up this weekend, not because Saturday Night Live featured two of the hottest young talents around (normally, that spells a formula for disaster rather than high comedy), but because, well, I don't know. That's not true....Sean L. McCarthy
I had my hopes up this weekend, not because Saturday Night Live featured two of the hottest young talents around (normally, that spells a formula for disaster rather than high comedy), but because, well, I don't know. That's not true. We saw such crazy real-life antics play out over the Thanksgiving break, plus the cast & crew that I know publicly acknowledged anticipating the broadcast, so perhaps they were ready to deliver a winner?
Of course, SNL opened with politics and before you get your panties up in a bunch about Fred Armisen's impersonation of President Barack Obama, know that this cold open wasn't even about him. It was about the Salahis, the D.C.-area White House party crashers who we all know we'll have to deal with on our TVs in 2010 as part of Bravo's "Real Housewives of D.C." SNL's take wisely played out mostly silently behind Obama as he tried to deliver a speech with the couple (Bobby Moynihan and Kristen Wiig, weirdly using some of her mannerisms for Kathie Lee Gifford in her miming to a Secret Service agent) conning the Secret Service (Bill Hader, Will Forte, Nasim Pedrad) and Vice President Joe Biden (Jason Sudeikis) into posing for snapshots. It helps if you focus as little as possible on whatever Armisen's Obama is saying. BTW, they had a couple of live ones in the audience tonight, didn't they? You can hear some big laughers on the microphones. Hot mics!
Now, don't feel bad if you don't know who guest host Blake Lively is because if you're not in her sisterhood of traveling blue jeans, nor watch "Gossip Girl," then you wouldn't know her. But as she walks out for her monologue, you get caught up pretty quickly. She's young, blonde and has a magically gravity-defying chest. Now. OK. The cast appears as the Muppets. Some think this is playing off of a recent new video of the Muppets singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." And while that is brilliant, I'm reminded more of John Denver and the Muppets, who created one of the best Christmas specials ever. Still. Ever! With Andy Samberg as the Swedish chef, Sudeikis as Fozzie Bear, Moynihan as Gonzo, Hader as Animal, Wiig as Beaker, and Jenny Slate as Janice and Fred Armisen as Zoot, they kick off the holiday season with a carol. Maybe won't get circulated as much as the actual Muppet video, but a worthy effort.
They replayed last month's "Carters N Sons BBQ" fake ad that poked fun at a "swine fever" ad campaign. Eh. I'm not usually a fan of when the show repeats fake ads, but I see why they do it sometimes. Swine fever is still timely. Plus, who knows. Maybe they had a new video air during dress rehearsal that didn't quite make the cut, and they needed to sub this in. Why am I making excuses for you kids?!
Here's a newly recurring sketch. It's ESPN Classic goes bowling, this time to the Vagisil Superstars of Bowling Tournament from 1989, with commentators (Sudeikis and Forte) showing off their ability to incorporate the feminine hygiene sponsors (Sudeikis) and lack of knowledge on bowling (Forte) into joke after joke after joke. Lively plays one of the female pro bowlers, Michelle "The Jackhammer" Rayburn-Gene (nice shout-out to Match Game!), competing with Wiig's Donna St. Louis. Forte's creepy smile and mustache, plus Sudeikis' delivery of his sponsor jokes, is worth the price of admission on this sketch. Also, I know this sketch isn't about Lively, but she really does put forward some good effort for her role. Did I mention the hot mics on the audience?
On the ad front, I do appreciate Luke Wilson making me feel better about switching to AT&T for my iPhone, even if I don't know why he's the spokesman for their ad campaign. OK. Moving on.
CNN gives us Wolf Blitzer (Sudeikis) to introduce a series of increasingly silly press conferences for Tiger Woods (Kenan Thompson) alongside his scorned wife, Elin (Blake Lively). She gets a lot of use out of that golf club! I know, you know, we all know that they had to do something about Tiger. But don't you feel they could have done more? Or is it just me? Obviously, a guy in the audience disagreed because I could hear him loving every second of this. Sidebar: As much as I sometimes want to scream at the dumb acting in "Gossip Girl," I'm already a full believer in Lively as she's showing some solid chops on live TV here. And, also: What would Rihanna do? Wait. What did Rihanna do?!? She was there to see this. Awkward!
Rihanna makes her first appearance tonight in the SNL Digital Short duing a duet in a school classroom with "Shy Ronnie" (Samberg). Why? Why ask why. It was funny to see Samberg play the shy role in a rap (of course, as soon as Rihanna leaves the room, he resumes his usual SNL Digital Short rap style). Not the best ever, but solidly executed.
Is the "Gossip Girl Staten Island" sketch a joke on Staten Island, on MTV's new "Jersey Shore" or a little bit of both? Either way, kudos to Lively and company (Hader, Armisen, Pedrad, Slate, Wiig, Moynihan). Anyone notice the subtle return of the "what the frig?" lines from that one sketch in the fall debut??? I'm going to build tiny tanning rooms for babies and dogs. Hey, no homo, but I liked this sketch despite itself.
Now for the "kickspit Underground Rock Festival," which obvious eyes knew better than I was a dig at the Juggalos (the rabid fans of the idiot awful rock band Insane Clown Posse). Sudeikis and Pedrad sell the fest on y'all. That facial hair and attitude on Sudeikis is reminding me of that one southern-fried-gangsta finalist from American Idol a few seasons ago. And Pedrad is quietly emerging as a go-to female cast member for all of your straight-line needs. Hmmm.
Rihanna's first song takes place in King Arthur's court. Am I right? I'm right, right? Chain mail FTW.
Fun facts? Rihanna is 21; Blake Lively is 22. I'm closer to their ages combined than to either one of them. Egads. When did that happen? Also, when did a show skew this young with both the host and musical guest? (Other than when Britney Spears appeared as both on one show)
It's Weekend Update with Seth Meyers. He's more my age. OK. Feel more comfortable now. Hey, look, it's Bill Cosby (Thompson) to talk about his hip-hop album.
Abby Elliott shows up as Brittany Murphy, who's not hosting SNL, or doing much, apparently. Random!
Lively is trying on clothes at Saks in a swimsuit? Oh, it's the return of Virginiaca (Kenan Thompson). No idea why this sketch exists, but it does. Forte plays the sales clerk. Abby Elliott plays another customer. Give this an E for Effort!
Oh, look a fake ad for UPS with Hader as that guy in the lady wig "that can air eight times in a football game." Short and sweet. Good call on that. That's it brought to us by FedEx is a bonus joke!?!?
Chris Hansen is no longer catching predators for Dateline NBC but hosting a late-night show? OK. Armisen plays the bandleader. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Sudeikis) plays the first guest, coming out before Hansen (Hader). "Did you come here to plug a movie?" Keanu Reeves is played by Samberg. And Lively is Cher. It must be the final half-hour because that made little sense.
Oooh. UPS parody ad #2. Which in NBC's eyes, is #3? Where's the first one? Mysteries. There's only rule in his kingdom. "Everyone wears lady wigs." If only they could put this online?
And after Rihanna performs with Young Jeezy...
It's time for this. A NASA sketch with Forte welcoming Sudeikis as a potential astronaut who has to pass a potato chip test?! Lively is Forte's assistant. How are these people astronauts? What is happening? My walls are crumbling down, like little potato chips. How can we make things right in the world? Microphone's still hot, fellas! This is not how I imagined this "in my undry dreams."
And that's our ballgame. Could this have been my favorite SNL of the season? Quite possibly, very maybe, definitely yes. I know next week with Taylor Lautner can only be a letdown now.
01/21/10