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Must-see morning clip: “SNL” parodies “Fox & Friends’” coverage of Jason Collins story

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

In last night's cold open, "SNL" parodied its favorite show to mock, "Fox and Friends," this time lampooning Fox's reluctance to acknowledge the significance of the coming out of NBA center Jason Collins.

Bobby Moynihan returned as host Brian Kilmeade, joined by Vanessa Bayer (Gretchen Carlson), and Taran Killam as Steve Doocy, who argued that Collins is not a hero.

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:

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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Twitter parody mocks Antonin Scalia in wake of DoMA

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:32:00 +0000

Marriage equality hangs in the balance while Supreme Court justices deliberate after oral arguments presented in the Defense of Marriage Act hearing earlier this week. Though there is speculation on how "wild card" Justice Anthony Kennedy will vote, there are fewer doubts about what direction vocally anti-gay, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, possibly the most vile person in Washington, will swing.

Twitter has responded with a new account parodying the "evil hop frog;" some of the top tweets, below:

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The IRS spent nearly $60,000 in taxpayer funds on “Star Trek” parody video

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:54:00 +0000

In 2010, the IRS boldly went "where no government employee has gone before" when it produced a six-minute "Star Trek" parody video, designed to train IRS employees about ~~how to act in B~~-rated comedy~~~~ leadership.

It begins with the following monologue:

"Space: the final frontier
These are the voyagers of the Starship Enterprise Y
Its never-ending mission is to seek out new tax forms
To explore strange new regulations
To boldly go where no government employee has gone before."

The video, which features affectless government employees doubling as fist-bumping crew members headed toward planet Notax, is hilarious and jarring and so bad that it's good until you realize that the government agency paid for the video, along with another spoof of "Gilligan's Island," with $60,000 in taxpayer funds for production alone. And then, it's angering.

From CBS, who first obtained the video:

Watch “Zero Dark Flirty”

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:49:00 +0000

In "Zero Dark Flirty," Jessica Chastain is a woman on a hunt for Osama bin Laden, the man of her dreams. Watch the trailer, below:

New “Bell Jar” cover ignites controversy, inspires parodies

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:45:00 +0000

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar," a dark, semi-autobiographical novel about a young woman's struggle with mental illness, UK publisher Faber decided to issue a new cover. This sounds appropriate -- exciting, in fact -- except that the cover is an ultra-feminine stock photo of a woman applying makeup (pictured above, right).

The London Review of Books weighs in on the controversy:

Sesame Street presents “Upside Downton Abbey”

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Sesame Street has been killing it on the Internet this week. Today the channel released "Upside Downton Abbey," an absurd spoof -- part wordplay, part parody -- of the Emmy Award–winning drama.

"Carson, might I have some tea?" asks the Dowager Countess, upside down. (Carson pours her tea):

Dowager Countess: Oh! Why is the tea not going in my cup?

Carson: Perhaps because you are upside down, ma'am.

Dowager Countess: Well of course we're upside down! This is Upside Downton Abbey!

And it continues:

Must-see morning clip

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:20:00 +0000

From the hilarious, sick, twisted mind of "Parks and Recreation" writer Megan Amram comes a women's health commercial parody: "Birth Control on the Bottom," mixing everything that ad agencies think about urban women (except maybe that we are all laughing alone with salad):

High school principal suspended for “Terminator” parody

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:11:00 +0000

EVERETT, Mass. (AP) — The principal of a Massachusetts high school was suspended Tuesday for two days without pay for appearing in a spoof of "The Terminator" movies that was shown to students, which some people thought was inappropriate.

Everett High School Principal Erick Naumann, as well as the teacher who made the video, received equal punishments, the office of Superintendent Frederick Foresteire confirmed. Naumann could have been fired.

The video was a way for the new principal to introduce himself to students. It shows him walking through the empty school dressed in dark sunglasses and a leather jacket, similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the movies, and terrorizing a woman. The video was interspersed with scenes from the movies, including a burning playground and explosions. When a teacher asks the principal what has happened to everyone, Naumann replies that they have been "naumannated."

Some said the parody was inappropriate and too violent in light of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., which occurred just weeks before the video was shown.

"He's a strong leader, he made the wrong decision on the video ... but I certainly don't think he should be terminated," Foresteire said.

Watch James Franco lip-sync Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend”

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:17:00 +0000

World renowned lecturer, musician and blogger James Franco yesterday released a disturbing/hilarious video of him and rumored girlfriend Ashley Benson lip-syncing to Justin Bieber's hit single "Boyfriend." Franco does his best/worst Bieber impression, sporting a sweat suit, flat-billed, sideways cocked hat, and Bieber's trademark bangs as Benson writhes around in a dimly lit room. Just Jared describes the video as a parody, but considering Franco quickly deleted it from his WhoSay account, we may never know for sure:

h/t Vulture

Aziz Ansari is the person behind the “Homeland” Twitter parody account

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:00:00 +0000

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that "Parks and Recreation" star and stand-up comic Aziz Ansari is the voice behind the popular "Homeland" parody account. THR notes that it suspected as much when one of Ansari's tweets was quickly deleted and appeared minutes later on Nicholas Brody's Twitter account. He often retweets from the character's account, as well.

Here are some of Ansari's recent tweets as the show's ex-Marine congressman:

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Ansari, a fan of the show, told EW last month, "The turns are unexpectedly sharp, and the season’s plot has been aggressively paced in the best way. To put it bluntly, crazy s— just keeps happening."

Rainn Wilson parodies Angus T. Jones’ meltdown

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:11:00 +0000

After "Two and a Half Men's" Angus T. Jones broke down on camera begging viewers not to watch the "filth" that is his show, comedian Rainn Wilson seized the opportunity to make comedic gold. Wilson, along with "Office" co-star Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin) taped a brilliant parody saying, "'The Office' is nothing, okay. If you watch 'The Office,' please don't watch 'The Office.'"

Wilson's parody effectively turned into an ad for the show, as he reiterated not to watch the show's final season, which airs at "Thursday nights, 9 o'clock, on NBC." "It's the enemy," said Wilson. "Hopefully people will listen to me, and not watch this filth called 'The Office.'"

New York Times gets Twitter parody account suspended

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:27:00 +0000

The New York Times, not an entirely humorless publication itself, yesterday had a popular New York Times parody Twitter account, @NYTOnIt, suspended. The account mocks some of the lifestyle Times pieces that note obvious or well-known observations as news (an example from this summer: "GUYS, drunk people go to diners really late at night, and The Times is ON IT").

The Times claims that the issue wasn't the humor, however. It was the use of trademark Gothic style "T," which the parody account adopted and edited to include a beret. Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the Times, told Poynter, “We’re not seeking to disable the account however it is important to The Times that our copyright is protected and that it is clear to all users of Twitter that parody accounts or other unofficial Times accounts are not affiliated nor endorsed by The Times.”

Chanel’s Brad Pitt ad goes viral with help from parodies

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Chanel's new perfume ad featuring Brad Pitt has has gone viral, but today Ad Age reports that it's because the video featuring the "Sexiest Man Alive" has been "ripe for parody." (Indeed, the commercial, which was supposed to be an attempt "to keep a legend fresh," is instead 30 seconds of what feels like a failed audition for "The Days of Our Lives.")

Ad Age notes that "Chanel No. 5 landed near the top of the Viral Video Chart this week" at 7.4 million views, but one-third of those views are getting boosts from derivatives of the ad, which include parodies.

Chinese dissident artist makes “Gangnam Style” parody

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, considered to be the most influential artist in the world, has released his own version of the oft-parodied viral hit "Gangnam Style." The infectious song is already a statement of sorts, but knowing the thought-provoking artist and political activist, there might be something more to it than that (Weiwei appears handcuffed to another man partway through the video).

Of course, as the Washington Post notes that Weiwei "never seems to take himself too seriously," it's possible the parody is just in good fun, too.

via Washington Post

The Onion’s editor discusses new encyclopedia

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:11:00 +0000

Today the Onion released “The Onion Book of Known Knowledge,” a “definitive encyclopedia of existing information” condensed into 244 pages. Salon talked with the Onion’s editor Will Tracy via email about the release of the book, why comedy is hard and how the Onion has changed over the years. The interview has been abridged and edited.

How did you decide what to include?

Choosing entries for the book, and brainstorming "takes" for these entries, was a two-year process that, like the paper, was very much a war of attrition. We had a master list of entries we knew we had to have: God, Music, Literature, War, Abraham Lincoln, etc. The biggies. Everyone on staff, as well as some freelance contributors, poured in dozens, sometimes hundreds, of ideas for takes, and may the best idea win. Once we had a take idea nailed down for an entry topic, that entry would be assigned to a writer.

OK Mittster

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Mitt just wants to be loved. So, ladies, tell him who you want him to be, so he can be the candidate of your dreams. Because he really, really wants your vote — is that so wrong?

Just how bad was Jim Lehrer?

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:29:00 +0000

It sort of works.

h/t ThinkProgress

Mad magazine’s New Yorker cover parody is amazing

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Mad magazine reimagined Saul Steinberg's iconic 1976 New Yorker cover as seen by the problematic Apple Maps app. The result is amazing:

h/t MAD Magazine