Salon.com > Comedy

New track from the Lonely Island features Solange Knowles, semicolons

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:54:00 +0000

As part of "Wack Wednesdays" and YouTube Comedy Week, sketch comedy group the Lonely Island has released a new track featuring Solange Knowles and Maya Rudolph. It's about semicolons:

The "Wack Album” comes out June 11.

Marc Maron and Michael Ian Black’s epic Twitter battle

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Known frenemies Michael Ian Black and Marc Maron got into another spat on Twitter yesterday afternoon.

It started after Maron tweeted:

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Black responded, and it quickly (d)evolved from there:

Seth MacFarlane will not host Oscars again

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:06:00 +0000

Good news for people who enjoy watching the Oscars: Seth MacFarlane has announced that he will not be hosting the awards show again any time soon.

While it seemed that after his dismal performance he'd already vowed to never host them again, the "Family Guy" creator was still toying with the idea -- until today:

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Stephen Colbert to UVA: “You must always make the path for yourself”

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:21:00 +0000

Addressing UVA's Class of 2013, recent college graduate and valedictorian Stephen Colbert encouraged students to keep their cell phones on. "I wouldn't want any of you to miss a text or a tweet while I'm giving my speech."

In between reminiscing about his experiences at all-boys Hampden Sydney College (and "marrying a UVA girl"), sharing SAT vocabulary words and sending out a tweet, Colbert doled out some advice:

I don't know if you've seen it -- this week's Time Magazine called you "lazy, entitled narcissists," who are part of the "Me, Me, Me" generation. So self-obsessed — tweeting your Vines, hashtagging your Spotifys and Snapchatting your YOLOs — your generation needs everything to be about you. And that's very upsetting to us Baby Boomers because self-absorption is kind of our thing.

But, Colbert explained, while his generation is leaving grads "with fewer job opportunities," it's giving them a hard-learned lesson earlier in life: "that you must always make the path for yourself."

Amy Poehler: I have no idea what makes a great comedy

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Amy Poehler, arguably the most venerated comedian alive in America today, has "no idea" what makes a great comedy. "Comedy has to be subversive," Poehler explained, "and not worry about the excellent part."

Poehler spoke at the Paley Center on Thursday night, taking part in a panel discussion about what "excellence in media" means. The "Parks and Recreation" creator and former "SNL" star was joined by David Simon, creator of "The Wire"; Charlayne Hunter-Gault, from "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer"; and Peabody Awards director Horace Newcomb.

All panelists except Newcomb are former recipients of the George Foster Peabody Award, an annual honor that recognizes "excellence on its own terms," says Newcomb. The Peabody looks at a large body of work -- ranging from broadcast journalism to entertainment -- to find things that "move you," according to Hunter-Gault.

But for Poehler, who won a Peabody for "Parks and Recreation," "talking about excellence and comedy makes me nervous." The actress also said that comedy doesn't necessarily have to make your think. She explained that "big physical comedy" can be hilarious without understanding why because "the joy of a person performing can be enough."

Diddy cast as first black member in “Downton Abbey” parody

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:24:00 +0000

Sean "Diddy" Combs surprised news outlets yesterday when the rapper announced that he's going to be a "series regular" on British period drama "Downton Abbey," which only weeks ago cast its first black character. It turns out that Diddy was referring his role in a Funny or Die parody of the show, called "Downton Diddy," which posits that there's been a black character in the series all along -- he's just being ignored:

Downton Diddy from Sean Combs

Mitch Hurwitz: Watch “Arrested Development” Season 4 in order

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Although "Arrested Development" star Jason Bateman told GQ that the fourth installment -- due out on Netflix in two weeks -- can be watched in any order, like a "choose your own adventure" book, show creator Mitch Hurwitz today tweeted that fans should watch the show in its given order. Apparently, the jokes don't hang together well enough to pull off the ambitious format:

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To get an idea of how complex and interwoven the recurring jokes are, check out this helpful infographic, which maps references from seasons 1 through 3.

Watch Bill Hader’s last “SNL” promo, featuring Ben Affleck

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:47:00 +0000

"SNL" has released the promo for the last episode of its 38th season, which bids farewell to comedian Bill Hader after eight seasons. Ben Affleck guest stars, with music from Kanye West:

Kurt Braunohler hires man in plane to write stupid things in the sky

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:34:00 +0000

When comedian Kurt Braunohler hired "a man in a plane to write stupid things with clouds in the sky," he hoped to brighten the day for people in downtown Los Angeles for about 20 minutes.

But thanks to Reddit, the comedian's prank got national attention. "I learned a lot about Reddit today," Braunohler told the Huffington Post via phone. "And I don't know the guy who put it up but I got to thank him."

Braunohler raised nearly $7,000 for the project via a Kickstarter campaign, with the intent to make (at least a few) people laugh:

I think we can all agree that life is pretty bleak place to be a lot of the time. Often you might even think, “Who thought this was a good idea to begin with!?” (God – what a jerk.) But I think that if there’s a way we can, just for a fleeting moment, give strangers an unexpected gift of absurdity, then I think we can make the world a slightly better place.

Matt Lauer recites lyrics to John Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland”

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:39:00 +0000

On last night's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," the host played a bizarre gameshow, "Wheel of Carpet Samples," with an even more bizarre ending: "Today" show anchor Matt Lauer reciting the lyrics to John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland." If this was an attempt to improve Lauer's battered public image...well...you can decide if it's working or not:

Bill Hader is leaving “SNL”

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:19:00 +0000

Get ready to say goodbye to "SNL's" New York City "Weekend Update" correspondent and perennial club-goer, Stefon. The New York Times reports that Bill Hader is leaving the sketch comedy show after eight seasons. The season's last episode airs on Saturday.

From the Times:

Mr. Hader’s contract at “Saturday Night Live” expired in spring 2012, but he was persuaded to stay on for an additional season. In February, he told Mr. Michaels that he was ready to move on, he said. “I’d heard stories that you get very emotional in those conversations,” he added, “and I’ve had other people tell me, ‘Oh, I cried.’ I didn’t, but I did think I was about to faint.”

Mr. Hader said his decision was motivated partly by seeing friends like Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig leave last season, and partly by a desire to move his family to Los Angeles. His wife, Maggie Carey, is getting busier with her filmmaking career, which includes the forthcoming comedy “The To Do List” (which she wrote and directed, and in which Mr. Hader appears). Meanwhile Mr. Hader said he had worked on three live-action features and four animated films during the current season of “SNL” alone.

The show also prepares to bid farewell to head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor Seth Myers, who will replace Jimmy Fallon as host for NBC's “Late Night," though his departure date has not yet been announced.

Watch the new trailer for “Arrested Development”

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:51:00 +0000

The final countdown has begun: The fourth season of cult comedy "Arrested Development" arrives on Netflix on May 26. Watch the trailer, below:

Must do’s: What we like this week

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

BOOKS

The American Psychiatric Association gears up to deliver the new DSM-5, the manual that serves as the mental health industry's bible, but with "The Book of Woe," psychotherapist Gary Greenberg cautions Americans to question the authority of a guide that is largely "built on fiction." Laura Miller writes:

“Psychiatric diagnosis is built on fiction and sold to the public as fact.” So writes psychotherapist Gary Greenberg in “The Book of Woe: The Making of the DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry.” That’s an explosive assertion but also one that doesn’t quite mean what most of you are probably thinking. Scientologists, settle down: Greenberg is not on your side. And talk-therapy pooh-poohers, spare us all those chortles of vindicated scorn; he doesn’t agree with you, either.

Swedish television welcomes Amy Poehler with new comedy series

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:32:00 +0000

American national treasure Amy Poehler is spreading some of her charm and wit to Sweden with a new comedy series called "Welcome to Sweden." Poehler is producing the series with her brother, Greg Poehler, under their new production company, Syskon (which means "sibling" in Swedish).

“I’m so happy to work with my talented brother Greg and the terrific Swedish actors who have joined us,” Amy Poehler said in a press release. “Hopefully this helps us decide once and for all who is our parents’ favorite child.”

The show, based on Greg Poehler's real-life romance, will be TV4's first English-language comedy. Details from the Hollywood Reporter:

The rape-joke double standard

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:57:00 +0000

There’s something of a general cultural consensus that sensitivity and empathy be shown in the wake of tragedy or violence; after a mass shooting or a terrorist attack, many comedians explicitly avoid making jokes. But, it turns out, there are exemptions to the rule.

A conversation about misogyny in comedy sprang up this week after feminist journalist Sady Doyle wrote a critical response to jokes performed by male comedian Sam Morril. Doyle's impression of Morril's material that night, as well as his Twitter feed, was that it disproportionately relied on jokes about nonconsensual sex, violence and the degradation of women. Her piece was a good-faith effort to bypass the usual debate about “rape jokes,” which often gets stuck around concepts like the importance of dark humor and freedom of speech, to explore issues at hand: the number of women who experience sexual violence, and the merit (or lack thereof) of making those women the target of jokes. An Onion article this week about Chris Brown and Rihanna also functions as a helpful distillation of how violence against women can act as a punch line; many feminists, notably women of color, felt that a domestic violence victim became collateral damage in service of a joke.

Andy Samberg marries Zach Galifianakis in a new Lonely Island video

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Comedy worlds have magically collided in a new episode of Zach Galifianakis's "Between Two Ferns," which features internet meme James Franco, a new "Spring Breakers"-themed song from The Lonely Island and even a cameo by Edward Norton. At some point, the bro-anthem turns into a search for Mr. Right, and everyone ends up getting married.

The song is the first of the comedy troupe's new Wack Wednesdays series, in which the Lonely Island will release a new video on YouTube every Wednesday until the release of their "Wack Album" on June 11.

Did the Onion go too far with its Chris Brown story?

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Just as the Internet was regaining some lost faith in The Onion, the fake news site has riled everyone up again with a graphic post making fun of rapper Chris Brown's apparent heartbreak over losing girlfriend Rihanna, whom he physically abused during their on-again-off-again relationship.

From the Onion's story:

“It’s hard knowing that there’s some other guy out there who gets to beat her senseless. In fact, for all I know, there might be someone out there assaulting her right now. And let me tell you, that guy is the luckiest guy in the world.” A saddened Brown added that, should the couple not reconcile, he remains confident that the special someone he was meant to beat to death is still out there for him, and when he finds her, he’ll waste no time in slapping her around.

SEA hackers take over the Onion’s Twitter feed

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:19:00 +0000

At first, the Internet wasn't sure if the Onion was getting meta, or if hackers were anteing up their attacks.

Several news outlets reported that a collective of hackers known as the Syrian Electronic Army hijacked the Onion's Twitter feed this afternoon, posting a string of unfunny, pro-Syrian army tweets:

"Israel denies forging new alliance with Al Qaeda: "We were friends all along, so it can't be new" - IDF Spokesperson"

"UN's Ban Ki Moon condemns Syria for being struck by israel: "It was in the way of Jewish missiles"

"UN retracts report of Syrian chemical weapon use: "Lab tests confirm it is Jihadi body odor"

Messages saying "Syrian Electronic Army Was Here" appeared on the satirical news network's various social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter, as well.

Steve Carell reportedly returning for “The Office” finale

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:23:00 +0000

Despite consistent reports that sorely missed "Office" star Steve Carrel will not return for the series finale, Michael Ausiello's breaking entertainment industry news site TVLine "has learned exclusively" that the former Dunder Mifflin manager "will, in fact, turn up in the swan song."

From TVLine:

According to sources, Carell’s return engagement qualifies as more of a cameo than a full-fledged guest appearance. (It’s unclear if Carell will be joined by his Office soul mate Amy Ryan.)

An NBC spokesperson declined to comment, while Carell’s rep insists that the Office finale will be Scott-free.

On Saturday, Carell surprised thousands of Office fans when he joined his former co-stars at a huge “wrap party” held in the real Scranton, Pennsylvania

The series finale airs May 16 and brings back former "Office" stars Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak.

“Mad Men” recapped via Facebook updates

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 +0000

If you are behind on the current season of "Mad Men," you could read Heather Havrilesky's recaps to understand how the ad execs at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are faring in 1968.

But if you're really short on time, you should check out these amusing Facebook recaps, via HappyPlace.com.

Here are a few from season 6:

Head over to HappyPlace.com for more.