the comic's comic

Well-known comedians in well-beloved TV dramas

If you're watching AMC's Breaking Bad, or just catching up to this Emmy-winning drama, then you're well-aware of Bob Odenkirk's rascally role as attorney Saul Goodman. In season four (which premiered last night), Saul has hired himself a bodyguard, Huell, who is played by none other than stand-up comedian Lavell Crawford.

Here's a clip of their first scenes together in Breaking Bad. Not spoilery!

 

Crawford has been a touring stand-up for years, and finished runner-up to Jon Reep in the 2007 season of NBC's Last Comic Standing. He has a new comedy CD out this month called Can A Brother Get Some Love?, which also will debut on Comedy Central on Aug. 12, 2011.

It's always interesting to see popular comedians cast in TV dramas. Enough stand-ups have done the trick on Law & Order that you could host a full night's show and then some with them.

But how many comedians have made the successful transition from stand-up stage to small screen drama, particularly when it's a critical and commercial TV hit?

Let's take a look back...

Kickstarting the 4th annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival

The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, now in its fourth year, is unlike any other comedy festival. Intended to be a joke on the notion of comedy fests, it has nevertheless become a Brooklyn institution now, and as Mirman and his co-conspirators Julie Smith and Caroline Creaghead note, it has managed to become both "sincere-and-ironic."

Keeping with that theme, they have taken to Kickstarter in hopes of raising money to pay for this year's event in September. I've spoken to Mirman, and this list of ridiculousness is, in fact, quite real. They do plan a full Day of Science this year. In past years, they've offered pig roasts and fake VIP laminates, and they've sold rocks emblazoned with names of comedy industry insiders.

Among the things they'd like to do this September: Pay the people who work for the festival; build an ice cream limo or buy an ice cream truck (the former sounds wonderful, the latter sounds feasible); fly in some performers and put them up in hotels to expand the event; set up a petting zoo; host an "Awkward Party Bus"; stage a VIP section inside the Bell House. Roll the video clip to hear it straight from Mirman:

 

With 30 days left in their fund-raising period, they've already received $3,842 from 45 backers. The most popular donation level of $20 so far has 12 donors getting their names printed in the festival guide as racists. That's much more popular, ironically, than giving $5 more to be printed in the festival guide as "Acquaintance of Eugene." Hmmm.

They've also received initial backing at the $500 level for guests on the aforementioned Awkward Party Bus (which includes access to one show, an autographed headshot and a signed poster), as well as the $1,000 level to put their names on animals in the petting zoo (this level includes "Double VIP" access to two shows, a pre-show "meet and hug" with Mirman and access to the party bus).

I love the $8,000 donation level, which earns you $5,000 in $1 bills.

And who will chip in $10,000 or more? If you do, you'll get paid accommodations "in a nice hotel" for four nights, "a weirdly decorated, very heavy chain that gives you and  a friend access to all the festival shows," and your very own handler -- "this person will probably be around 22-years-old and only sort of helpful."

Harry Potter and the final round of timely parody videos

The final Harry Potter movie opened across America at midnight, and with it, the final chance for comedians and comedy troupes to toast, roast and boast about their parody videos.

Let's take a look at a few making the rounds this week.

First up is The Second City Network's popular look at the houses of Hogwarts. Are you a Hufflepuff?

Tim Harmston's debut on Late Show with David Letterman

Tim Harmston made his debut last night on Late Show with David Letterman. Roll the clip!

 

Watch Buzzine's behind-the-scenes video with The Green Room with Paul Provenza

Buzzine got behind the scenes during taping of season two of The Green Room with Paul Provenza, which just aired its premiere episode tonight on Showtime with Judd Apatow, Garry Shandling, Marc Maron, Ray Romano and Bo Burnham. Don't worry. If you missed it in the Eastern and Central time zones, it'll air again in an hour, and then again over the weekend.

And I'll have a full exclusive interview with Paul Provenza for you just as soon as I sit down and transcribe it.

Until then, enjoy this video which features many of the comedians who took part in season two. And I mean many. Plus several of the people who work on the show. Good times.

Roll the clip!

 

What Zach Galifianakis told Scott Aukerman about high school, versus what his yearbook photo looks like

IFC has filmed a new round of interstitial bits with Scott Aukerman for IFC's Comedy Death-Ray, and in this little bit, Aukerman asks his friend and colleague in comedy -- Zach Galifianakis -- about his experiences in high school. Because they're supposedly in an ad break during an episode of Freaks and Geeks on IFC.

You get it.

Hey, look. Here's a photo of Zach Galifianakis in his high school yearbook in North Carolina from 1988. Can you glean anything from this photo and make a prediction? OK. Now that you've formulated 1,000 words from this picture...

What did Galifianakis say high school was like for him? Roll the clip!

Women are funny, but GQ really just wants you to think about them sexually in its 2011 Comedy Issue

Paul Rudd graced the cover of GQ's August 2010 magazine for its annual Comedy Issue.

Remember that?

Take a look in case you forgot.

OK.

Now look at the August 2011 cover of GQ.

That's Mila Kunis. Notice anything different?

Well, not really different, considering GQ is a men's magazine, and anytime they put a woman on the cover, she's treated as a sexual object of desire. Scroll through the past covers of GQ in case you need a reminder.

That's not a knock on GQ, per se. If fancy men want to fancy themselves a look at beautiful women looking beautiful, then sure, why not, definitely, most definitely.

But it perpetuates a thinking in the minds of dumb men (and women lacking self-worth) that funny women are sexy first, and funny second.

If you can get past the sexy photos of Mila Kunis and read what she says in her GQ interview, then you'll find out that she looks up to Lucille Ball. Here's an excerpt:

Mila Kunis: Lucille Ball is perfection—her timing and her commitment. Sarah Silverman is raunchy and brilliant, and people call her out for saying fucked-up stuff  that they wouldn't have a problem with a man saying. How dare she? Who else? Tina Fey. She's a genius. I actually just finished reading Bossypants.

GQ: That was good, I thought.

Mila Kunis: No! Not good, brilliant. I love Tina Fey. So funny, but never shticky. She's not tripping over shit.

GQ: She's so clearly attractive and successful that I can't buy her self-deprecating stuff anymore.

Mila Kunis: I see your point. You want the attention to go to the joke itself rather than be distracted by who's delivering it. But look at Bridesmaids. That movie's full of beautiful women who are hysterical. I'm so proud of those ladies. You have no idea how hard it is for a woman in this business. A lot of people don't even think women are funny. It's fucked-up, but you have to deal with guys like that. I've learned to roll with it.

Of course, even the magazine's writer prefers to focus on Fey's "clearly attractive" looks, which Kunis then defends.

And then:

J. Chris Newberg's exit interview and debriefing from America's Got Talent 2011

On last night's episode of America's Got Talent, musical comedian J Chris Newberg did not get one of the four spots in the semifinals. Spoiler alert? Although if they're doing four out of 12 in each of the quarterfinals, you'd suspect that there might be a special episode later in which the judges get to advance a few of their own favorites...hmmm.

In the meantime, Newberg gave this interview on a red carpet outside of the show last night.

 

Following the clip, Newberg recounts his experiences in his own words...

Artie Lange tells TMZ about possible full-time return to radio, with or without Howard Stern

Looks like the one-night pairing of Nick DiPaolo and Artie Lange on FOX Sports Radio was enough of a success that the duo is looking to make it a full-time deal.

TMZ.com caught up with Lange and DiPaolo yesterday and asked what's up. TMZ says the duo is in talks with FOX Sports Radio and DirecTV for their own show.

Lange's reply: "We're definitely going to be having some chicken parmesan in 10 minutes, but we don't know about the air yet."

Asked what Howard Stern would make of this, Lange added: "Howard's the greatest guy in the world. He's been supportive of everything that's happened and he's been a good man to me, so hopefully he'll be supportive of this, but you never know."

2011 Emmy nominations in comedy include Parks and Recreation, Louis CK and even a McCarthy!

The 2011 Emmy nominations came out this morning and revealed a few surprises, and yes, a couple of snubs. Same ol' same ol'.

Perhaps most surprising? That comedian Louis CK received the most individual Emmy nominations of anyone, with four: two for his FX show, Louie (acting, writing), and two for his stand-up concert film, Hilarious (writing, editing), which aired on EPIX.

He told the Los Angeles Times today that he already feels like a winner because his unique deal with FX has paid off: "We've proven that if you spend a hundredth of the money the big networks do, you can land at the same place."

So let's get to it. Here are the nominees in the comedy categories...

How does an American comedian perform on Kenya's version of The Tonight Show? Ask John Ramsey

John Ramsey has enjoyed success as a comedian in America, among his credits having reached the late, great HBO U.S. Comedy Arts festival in Aspen and performing on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham.

But for the past year, Ramsey has served as a volunteer in Kenya. Not so funny, right? That didn't stop him from trying, though. You can read about his experiences adapting his sense of humor for what Africans find funny on his personal blog -- and in many instances, he found out "Why My Jokes Don't Work in Kenya." And yet. Ramsey did adapt to his surroundings, learned enough Swahili, and earned himself a gig on Kenya's, and East Africa's, most popular "late-night" show (which happens to be 7:30 p.m. Thursdays), Churchill Live. Hosted by "Churchill" Dan Ndambuki, the show reaches 10 million viewers across an area of 40 million where many people still don't own a TV.

Sit back and enjoy this clip, which has a different pacing than American TV, and afterward, Ramsey tells me the backstory.

 

J. Chris Newberg performs in the quarterfinals of America's Got Talent 2011: Watch the full segment

Howie Mandel loves him. Piers Morgan hates him. But what does Sharon Osbourne think? You'll have to watch the whole segment to find out, as J. Chris Newberg performed in the first of four quarterfinals last night as part of the 2011 season of America's Got Talent.

Was that probably a bad idea? Was it? No. Really. Was it? We'll find out when the votes are counted from you Americans.

Roll the clip!

 

Watch the trailer for Nick Swardson's movie, "Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star"

Feels like forever since Nick Swardson said he was going to star in a movie for Adam Sandler's production company as a guy whose life changes when he finds out that his parents once were porn stars. Well, now we have an official movie trailer. This is Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star.

Roll it.

 

Margaret Cho's limited-time offer for a "sexting bundle" of her CD and unreleased songs: Pay what you want!

Earlier today, Margaret Cho kicked off a 72-hour "pay what you want" sale of her Grammy-nominated album, Cho Dependent, that includes two unreleased songs of hers, with 20 percent of the proceeds donated to Immediate Justice, a charity devoted to empowering young women and gay people of color.

The 72-hour window began at noon July 12, 2011.

As it's pay what you want, the person who pays/donates the most will earn a role as an extra in Cho's music video for "Asian Adjacent," to be filmed in L.A. on July 24. You'll meet Cho and Grant Lee Phillips in addition to appearing in the video. Note: This reward does not include travel/lodging. The number-two donor will receive a prize package that includes a Cho Dependent tote bag, CHO HO tank top, album poster featuring photos with the musicians and a personalized/autographed copy of the album.

If Cho can get 500 people to pitch in, everyone also will receive the brand-new song, "Sexting," by Sherry Vine featuring Cho.

Of course, this video snippet also explains it if you want a taste. Roll it!

 

 

R.I.P. Sherwood Schwartz (1916-2011), creator of Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch

Sherwood Schwartz, who created not only two of the biggest TV sitcoms of a generation but also two of the most famous TV theme songs in both Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, died in his sleep early this morning. Schwartz was 94.

Here he is pictured getting kisses from Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady) and Dawn Wells (Mary Ann) upon receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Born Nov. 24, 1916, in Passaic, N.J., Schwartz got his start in show business writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show in the late 1930s. He served in the Army during World War II, and upon his return, worked for the Ozzie and Harriet radio show, then later The Red Skelton Show and My Favorite Martian.

You can hear Schwartz talk about his life and career in this 11-part interview conducted in 1997 for the Archive of American Television, which I've posted after the jump.

Joel McHale trains Melissa McCarthy for reading the 2011 Emmy nominations

The 2011 primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on Thursday morning by Melissa McCarthy (who stars in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, though you may know her best from this year's hit movie, Bridesmaids). It seems like a thankless task, really. Getting up before first thing in the morning on the West Coast so you can read a list of names, which may not include your own name.

Community's Joel McHale drew those reading duties last year, and this year, McCarthy sought him out for advice, receiving some and then some. As this video, complete with training montage, proves. Roll it!

 

A Paulilu Production

Will Forte gets a gig in "Rock of Ages" movie, and goes on an audio tour that gets out of hand

In what's new with Will Forte news, it's all good news. Forte just won a role in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, Rock of Ages, joining a cast that includes Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti, Alec Baldwin, Malin Akerman, Bryan Cranston, Mary J. Blige, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Hough and Russell Brand. Forte's role -- Mitch Miley, network news anchor -- wasn't in the stage edition.

And in this new Funny or Die video, Forte forgets to remove his audio tour device when he visits an L.A. museum and learns a lot more than he bargained for. Also features Erinn Hayes and Joe Lo Truglio. Roll the clip!

  

(THR)

Watch David Letterman joke about the break-in at the Ed Sullivan Theater

In case you hadn't heard, a young man broke into the Ed Sullivan Theater over the weekend and trashed the lobby where they film Late Show with David Letterman.

Letterman got right to it in his Monday monologue, and yes, even managed to fit a Leno joke into his explanation. The screengrab below gives you more than a hint. Roll the clip!

 

A comedy fan's guide to San Diego's Comic-Con 2011

San Diego's Comic-Con International is a celebration of much more than comics -- and you don't have to have a website named The Comic's Comic to understand that -- as movies, TV shows, and more things that appeal to the comic-book crowd make their appeals to the sci-fi, fantasy and uber-nerds and geeks of the world each summer.

There's a lot to take in. Even the New York edition of Comic-Con, held in the fall, can feel overwhelming.

If you're a comedy fan, I've looked through the programming for Comic-Con International 2011 and tried to make it a bit easier for you to manage your schedule. This is an abridged look at those things of most concern to most discerning comedy fans. Even if you just want to see comedians, you'll find yourself busy enough to have to make some hard decisions.

So if you're going to San Diego Comic-Con 2011, here goes!

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

This week on late-night TV

The following listings include comedians and comedic actors scheduled to appear/perform on the late-night TV talk show circuit this week. Check with the TV shows and local listings for last-minute changes.

Who knows if David Letterman will have anything to say Monday about the young punk who got drunk and broke into the Ed Sullivan Theatre early Sunday morning -- after singing karaoke, even?!? -- and trashed the lobby and one first-floor office. The guy did not manage to get into the actual theatre. Roll the local CBS news report!

 

Through the magic of repeats, George Lopez will appear on Letterman tonight, as well as his own show and Conan O'Brien's. Also, who'd guess that Leno has the most comedians booked this week?

For the week of July 11-15, 2011...