the comic's comic

Larry David's first appearance on The Tonight Show is worth a repeat viewing

In case you missed it earlier this month, NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is repeating Larry David's first appearance on the program tonight.

In this clip, Larry David reveals that Leno first asked him on the program way back in 1992, when the Seinfeld program he'd co-created was still in its infancy. Was it worth the wait? He'll tell you before you even need to ask.

Leno also recalls how David used to act as a stand-up comic, not even bothering to say "hello" to the audience, and ready to bail as soon as he didn't feel the audience's attention on him.

 

You can then move past the bowels to see/hear part 2, in which Larry David talks about having disgust for himself, questioning Leno's denim fetish and writing for Saturday Night Live, and part 3, in which Larry David talks about being divorced.

TV Guide Channel gives Curb Your Enthusiasm "The Marriage Ref" treatment

Larry David's seminal post-Seinfeldian semi-improvisational TV comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, begins a new life tonight on the TV Guide Channel (10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, 9 p.m. Central/Mountain).

Each episode will be followed a post-show celebrity panel to fill out the hour, hosted by Curb's Susie Essman, called Curb: The Discussion. Tonight's first panelists will be Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm and Taraji P. Henson. Future post-show panels will include Seth Green, Rob Zombie, Hill Harper, Merrill Markoe, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Adam Corolla, Rex Lee, Dave Navarro, Patti Stanger, D.L. Hughley, Jeff Ross, Patton Oswalt, Joe Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski, Gloria Allred, Randy Cohen, Dr. Stan Katz, and others.

So, to be clear, celebrities will be analyzing the diabolical domestic life of Larry David's alter-ego and those of his friends, mostly for laughs?

That sounds exactly like what Seinfeld and his celebrity friends have been doing on The Marriage Ref?

I just want to make sure you comedy fans know this before you pass judgment on one or the other.

WGA honors Larry David, famous for a show "about nothing" and another show that's improvised

The Writers Guild of America announced today it would honor Larry David with the WGA-West's 2010 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, "given to writers who have advanced the literature of television throughout the years and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the television writer." David will receive his award Feb. 20, 2010, at the WGA's West Coast ceremony.

Of course, David famously helped Jerry Seinfeld create, produce and write seminal 1990s sitcom Seinfeld, and David's writing fueled many of the best episodes. He won an Emmy and WGA for writing "The Contest" episode, and earned additional nominations and wins from the WGA for both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. What's more than slightly amusing about David's honors for Curb -- from the WGA, in particular -- is that his HBO series is known for having little more than a outline from David to inform all of its characters, who then improvise the actual script. The future of the television writer is...improv!

Don't get me wrong. I loved Seinfeld. I love Curb. I think Larry David is responsible for making both of these shows great and should be rewarded. But still. It's more than slightly amusing.

Here's the money quote from WGA-W president John Wells: “For a writer who’s made a successful career creating hit television shows about ‘nothing,’ Larry David is truly something among writers,” said. “He has altered the TV comedy landscape and influenced a generation of writers, all the while keeping audiences laughing for two decades by mining comic gold from our most human, awkward, and revealing moments.”

Seinfeld: The Reunion begins on Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's not Seinfeld. It's HBO!

If you have watched the first two episodes of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, then perhaps you have wondered what all of the hullaballoo about a Seinfeld reunion was about, because, there has been very little mentioned about it thus far. That's all about to change next week. The teaser at the end of last night's episode lets you know that Larry David will begin sitting down with Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards to bring the gang back together again -- this time, in a very meta form. HBO already has been gracious enough to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the "Seinfeld reunion," in a 20-minute doc called "It's Not A Reunion: But It's The Closet You'll Get." And someone else has been kind enough to trim that down in half to the essential details about the Seinfeld subplot. So, without further ado, roll the clip!

Of course, not everything is the same. As is pointed out in the clip above, David thought Seinfeld would want to update his kitchen. Apartment Therapy helps point out some of the differences, too. Is that not enough for you people? Then watch this overall background piece on Season 7 of Curb, which has included juicy parts for JB Smoove, Bob Einstein, Richard Lewis and Seth Morris, among many; plus some more details about the Seinfeld plot, because after all, you never really saw Larry David in front of the camera during the NBC sitcom, did you much? No. Roll that clip!

Trailer: Larry David in Woody Allen's "Whatever Works"

Would you like to see Larry David playing a Woody Allen type of character having a Woody Allen type of relationship with a 21-year-old woman in a Woody Allen type of film? Then watch this trailer for Whatever Works, and tell me what you think of it? Thanks.

Guide to comedies at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival kicks off tonight with Woody Allen's latest, Whatever Works, starring Larry David. There's two great neurotic comedy minds! It also stars Ed Begley Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Conleth Hill, Michael McKean, and Evan Rachel Wood. After tonight's world premiere, it officially opens June 19 in New York and Los Angeles.

We'll have to wait until closer to June to see it ourselves. But there are some other comedies to note and possibly check out during the Tribeca fest, which runs through May 3.

Funny films featuring funny people: Hysterical Psycho, a horror spoof directed by Dan Fogler and starring Lennon Parham, among others; Black Dynamite, the blaxploitation spoof from Ars Nova that features Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, Nicole Sullivan and Baron Vaughn; mockumentary Midgets vs. Mascots, with Gary Coleman and Bob Bledsoe, among others; My Life in Ruins, which features Rachel Dratch and Harland Williams, among others; and Stay Cool, by the guys who brought forth Twin Falls, Idaho, includes Chevy Chase. Of course, there are plenty of other dramedies, quirky films and satires on the schedule. If I get to see any of these, I'll be sure to let you know.

Ricky Gervais talks comedy with Larry David

This is great. You may have seen it already. I had not. The bad news: We don't get to see TV this great in the States. The good news: YouTube brings the whole thing to us from the U.K., and you should watch all six parts of this comedy chat between Ricky Gervais and Larry David. (Thanks to Matt Ruby for pointing this out)

In part two, we see how Sgt. Bilko and Laurel and Hardy influenced The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and also how comedians know a lot more about honesty than other people.

"Seinfeld" cast reuniting: "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

Sometimes headlines just write themselves, people. Entertainment Weekly broke the news Thursday afternoon that all the four co-stars of Seinfeld -- Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards -- will appear together in the upcoming seventh season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Of course, the gang has reunited before to provide commentary for the Seinfeld DVDs, and it's not a surprise that they'd go to bat for Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's Curb, especially since it will mean they won't have to play their TV personas but rather an improvised version of themselves. Which, for Seinfeld himself, will be meta. Though truth be told, Seinfeld, Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus all have been on Curb before. So, in this case, really, curb your enthusiasm, sit back and enjoy the show.

The 10-episode seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will debut on HBO later in 2009.

Looking for funny Halloween videos?

Yes, dear readers and lovers of laughter, tis the season to be Halloweening...so, what. You want to see something funny that's in costume or something?

Comedy.com has determined these are the 13 funniest Halloween videos on the Web. And three of them feature stand-up comedians: Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt and Larry David.

Or why don't you just visit Funny or Die today and check out the home page's "editorial picks." If you're visiting after Halloween, you'll have to take that extra step of typing "Halloween" into the search field. I know, I know. So much work for your typing fingers.

But if you're looking for a comedian talking about what it's like to be an adult on Halloween, well, the first bit that sprung to my mind was Lewis Black. Candy corn? This YouTube clip, which is all audio, btw, will refresh your memories...(and since it's Lewis Black, I must remind you that his language probably is not safe for work)

Comedians weigh in on the 2008 election

Many comedians are using their offstage time to sound off on the 2008 presidential election, now less than two weeks away. The Huffington Post, in particular, appears to be a platform for several comedians...

Larry David doesn't know if he can handle watching the election returns come in on Nov. 4: "I believe I have big jinx potential and may have actually cost the Dems the last two elections. I know I've jinxed sporting events. When my teams are losing and I want them to make a comeback, all I have to do is leave the room. Works every time. So if I do watch, I'll do it alone. I can't subject other people to me in my current condition. I just don't like what I've turned into -- and frankly I wasn't that crazy about me even before the turn."

Michael Showalter wonders why "Sarah Palin's favorite word is "Ahmadinejad"."

Paula Poundstone asks: Is Anybody Listening to Bush?

Will Durst has something to say about all of this Joe the Plumber business that came out of the final debate.

Lee Camp is mocking the McCain-Palin ticket on a daily basis on 23/6, as well.

Max Silvestri and Andy Blitz each have access to new McCain Robocalls.

And on his own blog, Michael Ian Black realizes he must not be a real American, by Sarah Palin's definition.

Larry David: Cancer bald vs. Bald bald

This is not your typical public service announcement about cancer. Then again, this is Larry David. Enjoy.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Larry David, meet Yoshi Obayashi

Nothing can quite prepare you for an actual conversation with Larry David. Even having the HBO media rep tell me that Larry was about to call me to talk for my story, even watching his TV shows. Afterward, the HBO rep called me back to apologize for how surreal that must've been. Well, let me just say this. Talking to Larry David is just like you might imagine it. While everyone around him on Curb Your Enthusiasm is improvising, Larry David is being Larry David. Take that, Manny Ramirez and your Manny being Manny. Larry actually began our chat by saying he didn't want to talk to me because "I was just in the Boston newspapers" last week. And so he was. But I had to find out for myself how the real Yoshi Obayashi, an aspiring stand-up comic who I recall from our days together in the Seattle comedy scene, found his name and signature opening line in the premise for a recent Curb episode.

This story is a follow-up on my blog posting of Oct. 18, headlined, "Coincidence?"

‘Enthusiasm’ for kamikaze shtick shocks L.A. comic (Boston Herald)
It’s sometimes hard to tell fact from fiction on Larry David’s critically acclaimed HBO comedy, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Especially when they collide.
Yoshi Obayashi, an L.A.-based stand-up comedian, saw something a little too familiar in the “Kamikaze Bingo” episode, which first aired Oct. 16 and remains available via Comcast On Demand.
The premise: David makes fun of his friend Yoshi once he finds out Yoshi’s elderly father was a former kamikaze pilot who didn’t die in World War II. Cringeworthy hilarity ensues, including a failed suicide attempt by Yoshi.
The real-life Yoshi, 36, has opened the majority of his stand-up gigs for years with a similar bit. A Seattle Times article in 2000 even quoted his joke: “My grandfather is a retired kamikaze pilot. Obviously not very good.”
Obayashi said people have ribbed him about the TV Yoshi.
But he had nothing to do with it.
And now he worries that some audiences will think he stole his bit from the show. “That’s the ultimate irony of the thing,” he said.
“My friends tell me not to get mad. This stuff happens in Hollywood all the time,” he said. “I find the whole thing really curious.”
David, who has a home on Martha’s Vineyard, said he had never heard of nor seen Obayashi and picked the name Yoshi for the storyline because it sounded funny.
“It’s just unfortunate,” David said. “It’s totally bizarre. It’s completely bizarre.”
But all a coincidence, he says.
“I should call the guy,” David said.
So he did. Will there be a happy ending? Stay tuned.

Yoshi tells me he had a surreal phone talk with Larry, too. Yoshi certainly doesn't want to make waves or pick a fight with a guy who has made millions of dollars off of Seinfeld. Nor do I. But Larry David has such a sublimely bizarre ability to blur reality and at the same time co-exist with it (remember his episode from seasons past at Dodgers Stadium that helped provide an alibi for an alleged criminal?) that this coincidence was too surreal to let go without at least asking about it. I suppose if the TV character had a name other than Yoshi, I would've let it go. Anyhow, I wish both the real Yoshi and the real Larry David the best.