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“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.

John Oliver to guest-host “Daily Show” starting June 10

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:45:00 +0000

Jon Stewart will go on an eight-week hiatus (previously reported as 12) from hosting "The Daily Show" beginning Monday, June 10, Comedy Central has announced.

Stewart is taking a break from hosting the show to direct his first film, “Rosewater,” an adaptation of BBC journalist Maziar Bahari’s harrowing memoir of imprisonment in Iran, for which Stewart also wrote the screenplay. Stewart is slated to return on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

John Oliver, who has been a "Daily Show" correspondent for the past seven years, will guest-host in Stewart's place. "Don’t worry, it’s still going to be everything that you love about ‘The Daily Show,’ just without the thing that you love the most about it,” said Oliver in a press release. Guests for Oliver’s first week include Seth Rogen, Armando Iannucci, Fareed Zakaria and a musical performance by Mavis Staples.

Although die-hard "Daily Show" fans will miss Stewart's comedic genius this summer, the show is still in good hands. Below are some of John Oliver's most memorable segments:

"Even Better Than the Real Thing"

A porn parody of “Parks and Recreation” now exists

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:36:00 +0000

A porn parody of cult comedy "Parks and Recreation" now exists, because, why not? Called "Porks and Recreation," it stars Dick Chibbles as Ron Swanson and Aiden Starr as Leslie Knope, who has decided to watch some porn "because it's not something that I would normally do."

Watch the amusing trailer (SFW), below:

Watch the pilot for “Maron”

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:50:00 +0000

IFC has released the pilot episode of the show that could be called "Not Louie," but goes by "Maron," starring namesake comedian Marc Maron.

The show is based on Maron's WTF podcast, and explores the relationships in a very angry Marc Maron's life, including one with "his beloved trio of cats," other comedians, his mother and his girlfriend.

Watch the pilot, below:

Podcast superstar Marc Maron prepares for TV: “We should call the show ‘Not Louie’”

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

His face may not be familiar, but the newest IFC star's voice -- reedy and insistent -- is among the most notorious in comedy.

Marc Maron has become one of the most successful among the vanguard of podcasters; his show "WTF," in which he interviews comics and entertainers including Amy Poehler, Conan O'Brien and Fiona Apple, has built Maron an enviable public persona since the show's launch in 2009. He was even named one of Salon's "Sexiest Men" in 2011.

The show averages 230,000 listeners per episode, according to online syndicator PRX, but has the power to move the culture, as when comic Todd Glass came out in a meandering, compelling fashion or when Louis C.K. talked about his tense, rivalrous friendship with the host.

Pick of the week: Michael Bay’s self-mocking crime farce

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

With his pumped-up and violent crime farce “Pain & Gain” – a thoroughly reprehensible and frequently hilarious satire that depicts American life as a circus of stupidity, artificiality and self-regard -- Michael Bay sends a clear message to those of us who’ve been making fun of him: He’s been in on the joke the whole time. I can think of a variety of responses to this, but they all basically boil down to “Yeah, so what else is new?”

There has always been a powerful current of self-mockery, or at least self-awareness, in Bay’s ludicrous “Transformers” movies, which embraced bigness, loudness, dumbness, visual incoherence and cartoonish female pulchritude (see: Fox, Megan, entire career of) as central formal elements and stylistic first principles. I wasn’t the only critic to observe that Bay’s enormous 2011 hit, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” had elements of avant-garde surrealism and elements of high camp, and could be described as a “performance-art act of juvenile Id-fulfillment.”

6 old Twitter parody accounts still worth following

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:04:00 +0000

Everything and anything that has even the slightest potential to become a meme will eventually get its own Twitter parody account, even if it shouldn't. Twitter parody accounts require discretion, you see, namely from someone those who are funny.

That said, occasionally the right person starts the right Twitter parody account at the right time, and the commentary can take on a life of its own. The result: an account that can retain followers long after the prompting event or person has disappeared from headlines.

Here are 6 accounts based on memes well past their Internet prime that still making it work:

1. The Bronx Zoo's Cobra, which caused a panic when it disappeared from the Zoo in 2011, soon resurfaced on Twitter, gaining thousands of followers overnight. Although it was soon recovered in real life, the parody account still updates frequently and retains almost 200K followers:

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Jimmy Kimmel delivers amusing, tipsy speech at Time 100 dinner

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:04:00 +0000

As an attendee of the Time 100 dinner, honoring Time's most influential people in the world, Jimmy Kimmel toasted to Lena Dunham, who "taught me not to be afraid of my breasts," to Bassem Youssef, a man "who risks his life to bring laughter to his country -- and I would say I would just move," Jimmy Fallon, "who is getting me very, very drunk" and the ultimate comedian, Joe Biden:

Netflix releases “Arrested Development” character posters

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000

Netflix is promoting "Arrested Development," with full-force, last night releasing another series of posters -- this one featuring characters in the Bluth family. The fourth installment of the hit show arrives May 26:

[slide_show id=13281826]

YouTube to launch first-ever Comedy Week

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:23:00 +0000

On May 19, YouTube is kicking off its first-ever Comedy Week, in which the channel will live-stream sketch comedy, stand-up and other performances by some of today's leading comedians.

The acts, per Hollywood Reporter:

Vince Vaughn, Rainn Wilson, Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Tim and Eric, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Norm Macdonald, Craig Robinson, Rhett & Link, Beardyman, Eric Andre, Garfunkel and Oates, Grace Helbig, Hannibal Buress, Jeff Ross, Jenny Slate, Justin Willman, Jerrod Carmichael, Nathan Fielder, Pete Holmes, Reggie Watts, Ryan Higa, Tig Notaro and The Lonely Island are some of the top-tier comedy talent taking part.
Other participants include Smosh, Nerdist, The Onion, College Humor, Epic Meal Time Funny or Die, Epic Meal Time, JASH, Epic Rap Battles of History, Above Average, Barely Political, FIDLAR, Fine Brothers, Improv Everywhere, KassemG, Three Loco and Tummy Talk.

The event beings with with a pre-show at 4 pm ET and officially kicks off at 5 pm ET and ends on May 25.

Must-see morning clip: Jon Stewart interviews Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Honored this week as an attendee the Time 100 gala, Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef stopped by "The Daily Show" to discuss the Egyptian government's attempts to censor his comedy. "They're insecure, they are locked up into their teenage years. They still have pimples and have to deal with their body hair," he said.

Youssef, who was arrested for "denigrating Islam," "spreading false news" and "diminishing the president's stature," was released on bail earlier this month. His case attracted international attention, however, as activists cited the arrest as one of the greatest free speech infringements by the Mohamed Morsi's government since he came to power.

“Futurama” gets canceled, again

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:14:00 +0000

After seven seasons, "Futurama" is coming to an end -- again.

Matt Groening's animated comedy originally aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, before it was canceled. Comedy Central then picked it up in 2008, but has not renewed the show.

From the L.A. Times:

Comedy Central announced on Monday that the long-running animated comedy will come to a close at the end of its seventh season on Sept. 4.

The 13-episode final season premieres June 19 and will feature guest voices from Larry Bird, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Adam West, Burt Ward and the man behind Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta.

But show creator Matt Groening implied that the show might return: "I'm very proud of the upcoming season. If this is indeed the end of 'Futurama,' it's a fantastic finish to a good, long run," he said.

Watch Michael Shannon’s dramatic reading of “deranged sorority girl’s” email

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Last week, the University of Maryland gave the world a crazy, intensely angry email that went viral, introducing America to its new favorite sorority girl. The email, reprimanding the sisters of the university's Delta Gamma sorority for being "boring," begins: "If you just opened this like I told you to, tie yourself down to whatever chair you're sitting in, because this email is going to be a rough fucking ride."

It ends: "Go fuck yourself."

Gary Busey auditions for reality show on Mars

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:13:00 +0000

On Jimmy Kimmel last night, Gary Busey showed his audition reel for Mars One, a reality show that it being planned by a non-profit organization in order to create a settlement on Mars (for real). It’s basically a one-way trip to Mars, where apparently viewers at home can watch the participant expire. In space.

Good times.

Anyway, Busey’s audition reel is hilarious and kooky and everything you’d expect from a Gary Busey audition reel for a one-way trip to Mars. “I don’t let anything get me down,” he says, “because I am positive. If you’re not positive, don’t go to Mars, because you’ll get trapped in your own eating habits. When you find yourself eating part of your calf muscle, you should not be on Mars.”

Wise. Insane. Busey.

Patton Oswalt improvises 8-minute “Star Wars” rant on “Parks and Recreation”

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Comedian Patton Oswalt has been all over TV lately, playing cameos in "Portlandia" and "The Simpsons," and, tomorrow, he'll make an appearance on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" as an angry Pawneean who wants to block Leslie Knope's proposal to amend the outdated laws in the town charter. Using his public platform at a town hall, Oswalt's character launches into a filibuster to prevent the vote.

On set, the producers asked Oswalt to "ramble a bit about whatever subject he wanted." The result: an improvised, impassioned and totally bizarre 8-minute proposal for the plot of "Star Wars: Epsipode 7," which somehow merges Marvel comics and a pantheon of gods into the Jedi world.

Only a few parts of the monologue made it into the episode, "Article Two," which will premiere on Thursday night, but NBC has released the full clip below:

Fox pulls “Family Guy” episode after Boston Marathon bombing

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:20:00 +0000

Among productive messages of hope, inspiration and unity arising from the Boston Marathon explosions, there have, unfortunately, been some less helpful reactions -- one being a conspiracy theory from conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Alex Jones, who claimed that the media knew about the bombing in advance. His proof? A doctored clip from the March 17 "Family Guy" episode, "Turban Cowboy," in which Peter Griffin wins the Boston Marathon (by running over marathon participants in a car), and later befriends a terrorist whom he unknowingly aids in bombing a bridge. Though the two events are unrelated in the episode, the clip edited the scenes to make them seem connected -- a "prediction" of the bombing.

As the edited clip began to circulate on social media, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane was compelled to respond:

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In response, Fox has pulled the episode from Hulu and Fox.com.

View the edited clip below:

Jon Stewart is no Bassem Youssef

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:35:00 +0000

Two weeks ago Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered the arrest of comedian Bassem Youssef, host of the TV show Al-Bernameg, for “insulting Islam” and Egypt’s President Mohammad Morsi. Youssef’s name is rarely mentioned without reference to his admitted role model, the American comedian Jon Stewart, who recently defended Youssef on The Daily Show.

Since Youssef’s arrest, nearly every story about the incident labels the heart-surgeon-turned-TV-star as “Egypt’s Jon Stewart.” But Youssef — who continues to risk his freedom and career to ridicule Egypt’s political elite — has little in common with Stewart, a man who’s built a comedy empire on an unwarranted reputation for prophetic humor and moral integrity. And even while Youssef himself cites Stewart as an influence, the Egyptian humorist far outshines his American counterpart in his willingness to challenge political and social taboos.

Remembering Jonathan Winters: Memorable television moments

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:33:00 +0000

Jonathan Winters, who was one of the most celebrated improv comics in America, died Thursday night at 87. As those who grew up watching him on TV shows such as "Mork & Mindy," "The Hollywood Squares" and "The Dean Martin Show" and in the film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" mourn the loss of one of alternative comedy's pioneers, many will revisit some of Winters' most memorable moments.

Winters could improvise with literally anything--including a set of pen and pencils:

and just a stick:

In fact, Winters never read from a script, even when on "The Dean Martin Show":

Jonathan Winters dies at 87

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:16:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Jonathan Winters, whose breakneck improvisations inspired Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and many others, has died at age 87.

Longtime family friend Joe Petro III says the Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes.

Winters was a master of improvisational comedy, with a grab bag of eccentric personalities and facial expressions. Characters such as the dirty old lady Maude Frickert were based on people Winters knew growing up in Ohio.

In the mid-1950s, "The Jonathan Winters Show" pioneered the then-new videotape technology on to do stunts such as showing up as two characters on screen together.

He was introduced to millions of new fans in 1981 as the son of Williams' goofball alien in the final season of ABC's "Mork and Mindy."

Louis C.K.: “Race doesn’t mean what it used to in America”

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:31:00 +0000

"Race doesn't mean what it used to in America anymore," comedian Louis C.K. tells Rolling Stone in a profile featured in its upcoming issue. This is a point that perhaps LL Cool J and Brad Paisley were trying (and failing) to raise in their duet, "Accidental Racist," earlier this week.

But it might surprise "Louie" fans to know that race has shaped the comedian's cynical, irreverent brand of humor, which focuses more on day-to-day observations than complex political issues. C.K., who spent six years in Mexico as a child, says his observations as a Mexican immigrant "made me an observing person" who "had the help of a whole nation of people just accepting that I'm white."

He says:

"Obama's black, but he's not black the way people used to define that. Is black your experience or the color of your skin? My experience is as a Mexican immigrant, more so than someone like George Lopez. He's from California. But he'll be treated as an immigrant. I am an outsider. My abuelita, my grandmother, didn't speak English. My whole family on my dad's side is in Mexico. I won't ever be called that or treated that way, but it was my experience."