comedy

ABC orders pilot episode

Fringe run and autumn tour

From the Tosh.0 blog…

Next Tuesday on the SEASON 4 PREMIERE OF TOSH.0, Daniel learns how to land European men.

Tune in to an ALL NEW episode on Tuesday, January 31st at 10/9c, you undesirable Americans.

January is almost over. Winter is halfway through and change is in the air. People were born and people died. Flowers wilted and seedlings sprouted. Girls became women and boys became men. Boyz II Men changed their names to Men II Old Guyz. I finally got my period. And the final week of voting for Comedy Central's Stand-Up Month came to an end.

Here are the winners, along with the times their specials will air tonight:

Amy Schumer: 9/8c

Anthony Jeselnik: 9:30/8:30c

Louis CK: 10/9c

Sheng Wang: 11/10c

Julian McCullough: 11:30/10:30c

There was a problem connecting to Twitter.

Probably a good opportunity to remind everyone that we're not responsible for any ten car pileups that result from DVR-setting while driving.

Oh, and if you want to listen to it, here's that NPR segment.

Follow: @ComedyCentral, @CCInsider, @Indecision and @ccstandup.

Key & Peele premieres Tuesday at 10:30/9:30c.

So, what's the easiest way to help Earth? Learning and knowing stuff about it.

Learning and knowing… but you said "easy!"

Actually, I said "easiest," and the easiest way to learn and know stuff is by watching movies about stuff.

MOVIIIIES!!!

Documentaries can be educational and ent–

Documentariiiiies…

No — will you just — some documentaries are actually really–

Explain how!

I mean, you like a movie that's based on a story, right?

I guess…

Ripped from the headlines?

Keep talking…

Here are seven documentaries that are rich with drama just like you might see played out on screen by Jack on 24 or that guy from Angel. And…youjustmightlearnsomethingabouttheEarthtotallybyaccident. There are guns in one!

I love guns like the womb!

Let's do this:

The Cove – Secret spies take out underground dolphin-murdering ring.

Who Killed the Electric Car? – A murder mystery (obviously), with corporate intrigue, espionage and one big "car chase."

Food, Inc. – Gross-out film of the decade. Not for the faint of heart.

Frontline: The Spill – Conspiracy, carnage and explosions.

Tapped – A conspiracy breaks wide open. Danger lurks everywhere, even inside your MOUTH.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey – A f*cking badass turtle f*cks sh*t up.

The Yes Men Fix the World – A ragtag duo of con-artists infiltrate the dark underbelly of corporate America:

The Yes Men Fix the World Official Trailer from Bink on Vimeo.

You're welcome for the best week of movies ever. And for how smart you'll be afterward. As we say here at Address the Mess: That's edutainment!*

* We also say "That's ecotainment."

Unlike many of my peers, I was actually not bullied in school. Hard to believe, I know, but it's easy to be popular when you're captain of the varsity long-term memory-repression team.

John Mulaney, on the other hand, was bullied and for some things that might surprise you, as he explains in this clip from his new special.

John Mulaney: New In Town premieres tomorrow at 10/9c.

Note: This is a review of the album being released January 31. John Mulaney's 'New in Town' stand-up special premieres this Saturday, January 28, on Comedy Central.

Sure, it's only three weeks into 2012, but let's go ahead call New in Town, the second album from comic and Saturday Night Live writer/producer John Mulaney, the best stand-up album of the year so far. A brilliant mix of personal storytelling and sharp, ultra-specific observational humor, the album covers everything from "cold case" murders to mariachi bands on the New York subway to Mulaney's own resemblance to an Asian woman. It builds on his terrific first album, The Top Part, further cementing Mulaney's status as a guy who takes note of the world in very unique ways: he's amazed at what he sees in the world around him, but his delivery suggests a willingness to accept those things, out there as they may be. It's such a funny combination.

...

Read Full Post

Wednesday night, you might have seen Jon Stewart interview Paula Broadwell about her book All In. But what you didn't see was this segment where Paula challenged Jon to a pushup contest to benefit the wounded veterans charity Team Red, White and Blue.

A warning to our younger readers: This video contains uncensored explicit language.

A warning to our older readers: This video features three people in way better shape than you.

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11/10c.

WTF: Weekly Trivia File

In need of an easter egg in Action Comics issue #863? Why not Zoidberg? Via the Comics Should Be Good blog comes this frame from a Superman story set in the future that features the decapodian "M"D in the back of a paddy-wagon, presumably on charges of medical malfeasance.

The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 120,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)

In terms of modern poltical satire, there’s no better source than the double-punch of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. From their recent skewereing of the SuperPAC system through creating their own to their massive Washington DC Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, over the years The Daily Show and its spin-off, have had deep impacts on the modern popular culture. But where did it begin? Let’s take a look an episode of the prequel to Jon Stewart’s Daily Show: The Jon Stewart Show.

In 1992, MTV was in that transitional period that everyone likes to complain about, in which the 24-hour music video channel was beginning to introduce non-music video programming. First among these were The Real World, Liquid Telelvision, and then a little thing called You Wrote It, You Watch It , hosted by a young stand up named Jon Stewart, in which sketch ideas submitted by viewers were acted out by members of The State. It was cancelled after one season, but the following year, in 1993, The Jon Stewart Show premiered as a nightly talk show and became the network’s second highest rated program, right behind Beavis and Butt-Head.

Meanwhile, late night on the networks was exploding. Letterman left NBC and went to CBS, at the same time that Arsenio Hall’s very popular syndicated show was cancelled by its distributor, Paramount Television. And, since Paramount and MTV were all part of the same corporate family, The Jon Stewart Show was moved from deep cable to nationwide syndication. According to the recently published oral history, I Want My MTV, this was a frequent problem at the network during this time. According to Beth McCarthy, a producer, “MTV had a problem holding on to talent. They’d discover Ben Stiller and Jon Stewart, but couldn’t do talent-holding deals, because the budgets were so small, and talent would eventually leave.”

The Paley Center has a few episodes from the syndicated version of The Jon Stewart Show in their archives and I decided to go with the February 24, 1995 episode, which just so happened to be the show’s 100th. It is, of course, jarring to see the young, black-haired Stewart enter, wearing a leather jacket, but once he begins speaking, it’s clear that it’s the same Jon. “That’s very nice! Folks, thank you very much!” There is, however, some nervousness and a little bit of awkwardness as he tells his Urkel and Phil Collins jokes, but underneath, that same wry sense of humor is still clear.

When Jon announces that tonight is the 100th show, balloons and confetti drop from the ceiling, as will happen several times throughout the show, and he is greeted by “the mayor” (probably a writer in a top hat and sash that reads “mayor”) who presents him with a plaque and cardboard key to the city, before escorting Jon to a parade in his honor (a car in front of a bluescreen). As Jon and the mayor wave to the crowd a few people from the city approach the car. Dave Attell enters with a fake child on his shoulders, says he’s a huge fan, and then falls down, smashing his son on to the hood of the car. A young Brian Posehn, playing a pothead in tie dye enters and gives weed to Jon. This turns into a battle between Stewart and a group of Shriners. It ends in more confetti and balloons and we go to commercial.

Jon Stewart’s guests on the show either a) do not stand up against the test of time, or b) demonstrate how tough it could be to get guests as a syndicated TV talk show, but I’ll let you be the judge. From Wings, Steven Weber, from the upcoming Fox TV Movie, “Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story,” Patsy Kensit, music from Helmet, and from NBC’s sci-fi drama Earth 2, Rebecca Gayhardt. (Trick question! It’s both “a” and “b!”) Jon shows his relaxed interviewing style that he continues on the Daily Show today; he’s friendly and quick on his feet, charming throughout, and he did that thing where he shows a clip and reacts to it with a pithy phrase like “that’s scary” before bringing the guest out that he still does. However, as you might imagine based on the lineup, the modern viewer isn’t going to watch this show for the guests.

Between Steven Weber and the rest of the guests, Jon introduces a recurring segment on the show that was done most Fridays called “Talk Show Jon,” in which an action figure version of Stewart goes on some sort of adventure with the help of hands hidden below camera and the occasional wire. In this episode, President Clinton (portrayed by Mr. Potato Head) calls Talk Show Jon and sends him to rescue GI Joe and a doll of Saved by the Bell's Screech from the Middle Eastern country of “Klafjstan.” As soon as the action moves to this fictional country, we are greeted by three Arab stereotypes who would not be out of place in the Trey Stone/Matt Parker movie Team America, and speak in subtitled phrases like “I will kill him! I am a demon!” Talk Show Jon saves Screech and GI Joe after the stereotypes shoot down Aladdin on his magic carpet. After the “episode,” Aladdin and Talk Show Jon do a public-service announcement regarding Arab/American relationships in which Jon informs us that “radical demons like Saddam Hussein will get their ass kicked every time.”

Okay, so, yeah. It was a different climate in 1995. It’s just a few years after the first Gulf War and obviously pre-9/11. And it’s important to point out that these are action figures doing and saying this stuff, so clearly it’s all a satire of the jingoistic GI Joe cartoons of the day, but still, it is very jarring to hear The Daily Show's Jon Stewart speak so fervently about kicking Hussein’s ass, or to appear in the midst of gibberish spouting toys from a “blank-istan” country. There’s no question that the years that would follow would harden Stewart’s worldview and perhaps give him the character that would encourage him to think twice about such a bit. Also, he got rid of the leather jacket.

And now, in closing, I’d like to leave you with this: Steven Weber tells a story about doing a nude scene. Have a great weekend!

Ramsey Ess is a freelance writer for television, the head writer of his website, a podcaster and a guy on Twitter.

---

See more posts by Ramsey Ess

0 comments

Parks & Rec dropped 11% to a series low in the ratings last night, while 30 Rock stayed low from last week. Meanwhile The Big Bang Theory is beating American Idol with around 16 million viewers, so...that's happening.

---

See more posts by Hallie Cantor

0 comments

I think it's time we all take a moment to appreciate how wonderful the Martin Luther King Day trailer was on last night's 30 Rock. This should be an actual comedy film. They could even make a sequel called Arbor Day. (It would probably involve Tayler Lautner and Emma Roberts having a tender breakup in an orchard. "Maybe we both need some time to branch out and grow.")

---

See more posts by Hallie Cantor

0 comments

Censors target Daliso Chaponda

It all began on December 12, 2011.

That's when "Shit Girls Say" was uploaded to YouTube and nearly broke the Internet when it was picked up by Reddit, the Huffington Post, and pretty much every other website, too. A month and a half later, it's racked up over 12 million views. "Shit Girls Say" began as a Twitter account created by Kyle Humphrey and Graydon Sheppard, before they, along with some help from Juliette Lewis, put together the 79-second video that almost instantly "changed" the Internet, for better or worse (worse). Ever since, hundreds of parodies have popped up online, ranging from the inevitable "Shit Black Girls Say" to the far more out there "Shit Premature Ejaculators Say." And somewhere in-between, we've got "Shit Lana Del Rey Says."

Unless it's Rebecca Black-related, memes are meant to live and die in a very short amount of time. As soon as Tebowing became a thing, it was time to move onto something else, like Cam-Newtoning (you just didn't hear about it), and everyone who was still Tebowing was, as the assholes from that AT&T commercial would say, "SOOOO FOUR SECONDS AGO." But people are still making Shit X Say videos, with dozens more uploaded to YouTube every day. What does a meme look like nearly 50 days after it began? Well:

"Shit Scary Snakes Say," January 25, 2012

1) I have no clue if this video is ironic or not. 2) Is that "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" being played on the keyboard? 3) If you're wondering, "Shit Cats Say" was uploaded on January 6.

"Shit '90s Kids Say," January 22, 2012

Whenever there's an online trend, it's only a matter of time before the '90s gets involved. It's an instant nostalgia connection for everyone roughly between the ages of 22-30, and it's also one of the easiest gimmicks in the book. Say you're talking to someone who's 62 years old about the Velvet Underground — how many times in your life have you heard them at one point jokingly, but snidely say, "How do you even know about the Velvet Underground? That's my generation." Ever since, oh, the Internet became a thing, generational divides stopped meaning anything — someone who's in their 20s can know just as much about I Love Lucy as someone who watched the show when it was on TV. ANYWAYS.

"Shit People Who Make "Shit People Say" Videos Say," January 18, 2012

Meta. Bound to happen.

"Shit Bassoonists Say," January 25, 2012

All the good instruments have already been taken (Shit Drummers Say, January 16; Shit Violinists Say, January 17; Shit Metal Guitar Players Say, January 24, etc.), so it's time for the bassoonists to shine. No one's done Shit Glockenspiel Players Say, though, so the instrument-based subgenre of the meme isn't dead yet.

"Shit People Say to Tattooed People," January 18, 2012

There are some who latch onto the meme, but don't fully get the concept. The intended formula is: "Shit _____ Say," not, "Shit ____ Say to _______." With just a slight rewording, it changes the premise entirely, from being about what a certain gender, race, sexual orientation, TV show fan, etc. says to being about what an outside individual says to a certain gender, race, sexual orientation, TV show fan, etc.

"Shit Samuel L. Jackson Says," January 25, 2012

Jay Pharoah wishes he had thought of this first.

"Shit Jamaicans Say in Drive-Thru," January 18, 2012

Most of the "good" shit-saying situations have been taken, so the premises have become more specific. You can't just be observing what Jamaicans say; you have to analyze what Jamaicans say in the drive-thru. While many of the videos can be understood, at least slightly, by anyone, this is an example of a situation that only a tiny fraction of the online community can laugh and nod at. Specifically, Jamaicans who have used a drive-thru.

"Shit Black Grandmas Say," January 21, 2012

Think Madea, with a slightly bigger budget.

"Shit Supernatural Fans Say," January 22, 2012

This is the fourth "Supernatural Fans Say" video, and the meme has really only been applied to sci-fi or fantasy series. For instance, there's a "Shit Sherlock Fans Say," but no "Shit Simpsons/Seinfeld Fans Say" videos. Once you start burrowing down the pop culture rabbit hole, though, it's only a matter of time before you reach the recently-uploaded Parks and Recreation scene from "Hunting Trip" with Leslie Knope essentially doing "Shit Men Think Girls Say." That was two years ago.

"Shit Seattle People Say When It Snows Part 3," January 19, 2012

PART THREE. Shit X Says: December 12, 2011-January 19, 2012

Shit Josh Kurps Say

---

See more posts by Joshua Kurp

0 comments

Man, Mark Twain was holding down the early 20th century comedy scene like a champion. After he was robbed in 1908, Twain wrote a notice for all future burglars and posted it on his front door. It includes all sorts of helpful advice for those interested in thievery:

There is nothing but plated ware in this house, now and henceforth. You will find it in that brass thing in the dining-room over in the corner by the basket of kittens. If you want the basket, put the kittens in the brass thing.

The notice stayed on his front door permanently. This Twain guy really brought the LOLs, huh? Or as they said in 1908, the GAs. That stands for Guffawing Aloud. Obviously.

---

See more posts by Hallie Cantor

0 comments

Stephen Colbert was all ready to retrieve his Super PAC from Jon Stewart's avuncular, custodial arms when he was shocked to find those same arms greedily hoarding the money – and continuing to do so four days later. In an email to PAC members (below), Stewart admits he's gotten into a bit of a jam vis-à-vis liquid assets. "I didn't mean to spend so much. But you know how it is – you gold-plate one plate, and then you realize you've got to do all the dishes, or else they won't match." Tell me about it, Stewart. I just chipped my tooth on a gilded frying pan. That shit is a slippery slope.

Super PAC Super Donors,

Hey, it's the J-Man*. I'm writing to you from the penthouse suite of the Super PAC's underground bunker. It's pretty nice now that we've fumigated for molemen.

You know how when you borrow somebody's car, it's polite to return it with a full tank? Well I took Stephen Colbert's Super PAC for a spin, and I used up the gas, the oil, the wiper fluid, and the back seat is covered in what I hope is chicken blood.

I don't know how it happened – I didn't mean to spend so much. But you know how it is – you gold-plate one plate, and then you realize you've got to do all the dishes, or else they won't match.

But if Stephen ever gets the Super PAC back and sees what's missing, I'm afraid he'll get violent. He's not very good at it – he just sort of flails his arms around like one of those inflatable car-dealership guys. But he lands the occasional blow, and his weeping and spittle can stain my tie.

So, can you do me a solid? Do you mind donating just a little bit to the Super PAC to cover my losses? I just need to make up somewhere in the neighborhood of $81,166.81-ish.

Or you could help by buying a Turtles Don't Like Peanut Butter T-Shirt. I have no idea what it means, but we've got boxes full of these things, and I can't wear them because my turtle has a peanut allergy.

Please give – every little bit helps a little. Although the large bits help a large.

Thanks,

Jon Stewart President For Life For Ever The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC

* I've been trying out some new nicknames for the Super PAC staff to call me. Jonzilla? Jon Of Green Gables? Feedback is welcome.

---

See more posts by Hallie Cantor

0 comments

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

* Most mornings, for decades, he murdered me with charming banter.

---

---

---

Jesse David Fox is a freelance writer, cat person, and Jew (in that order). He lives in Brooklyn. There is nothingChurchillian about his recaps.

---

See more posts by Jesse David Fox

1 comments

Since the get-go, Leslie Knope’s City Council campaign has been plagued by scandals, but this time around, she’s finally found a controversy that may actually benefit her. Here’s a list of fiascos that Leslie has been involved in since deciding to seek a City Council seat:

• Participating in a secret romance with Ben, a fellow city employee
• Bribing another city employee to keep her relationship with Ben a secret
• Holding a disastrous PR stop at an ice-skating rink
• And the latest: Her boyfriend/campaign manager Ben punching a voter in the face

While these previous gaffes have hurt Leslie’s campaign and caused her to lose support from voters, Ben defending her honor by socking a citizen named Derek in the face seems to be having a positive effect in terms of how voters view Leslie. The trouble begins when Leslie eavesdrops on a focus group and hears Derek (played by longtime Late Night with Conan O’Brien writer/performer Kevin Dorff) say he doesn’t think she’s someone with whom he could go bowling. Leslie responds in an overboard fashion typical to Leslie Knope by organizing a campaign event at a bowling alley, with her only intention being to get Derek to like her. Leslie’s competitiveness gets the best of her, as it often does, and she provokes Derek into insulting her, prompting Ben to fly off the handle.

Ben’s such a sweet and low-key guy, and we’ve seen how long Andy had to provoke him to get a rise out of him in this year’s Halloween episode, “Meet ‘n’ Greet.” It’s  nice to find out what finally causes Ben to snap. Andy could have saved a lot of time when he was trying to anger Ben at the Halloween party if he had just called Leslie Knope a bitch .

Elsewhere in Pawnee, most of the show’s supporting players (April, Andy, Chris, Jerry, and Donna) are busy working the phone bank for Leslie’s campaign. Chris is his typical jovial self, his spirits only raised by the fact that he’s planning on asking his girlfriend/Jerry’s daughter, Millicent Gergich, to move in with him. Chris’s plans are thwarted when Millicent tells him she wants to split up, thus putting an end to the “Chris is dating Jerry’s daughter” arc. I say “good riddance” to that storyline as it never quite did it for me. Sure, Chris is a complete weirdo, but he’s also a really good guy who Jerry should have been happy to have date his daughter. For this reason, I never really bought Jerry being so upset about their relationship, and Chris frequently rubbing the romance in Jerry’s face always felt out of character to me. Even if Jerry didn't like Chis dating his daughter, it's not something that's not nearly as bad any part of the constant string of misfortunes in Jerry's life.

I’d be remiss not to mention Ron Swanson and Tom Haverford’s tiny C-story, about Ron becoming jealous and frustrated with Tom’s surprisingly effective “granny-style” bowling technique. Some of the funniest moments in the episode come from this minute chunk of it, although it doesn’t – nor does it intend to – carry the same emotional wallop the bigger plotlines do.

With only a few months to go before Leslie’s campaign hits the home stretch, Leslie’s showdown with her only competitor Bobby Newport (played by Paul Rudd) is right around the corner. Here’s hoping that Ben liked the feeling of punching that bowling guy so much that he turns into a rage-aholic and beats up Paul Rudd during the final debate.

Bradford Evans is glad to see Champion the three-legged dog make a return appearance. He’s the new Li’l Sebastian.

---

See more posts by Bradford Evans

1 comments