comedy

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Comedy Legend Skewers Left in Slapstick Carol

Naked Gun director lampoons Michael Moore in new flick

(Newser) - They're calling it  “a spoof of A Christmas Carol and contemporary American culture,” from the director that brought you Naked Gun and Airplane! But what the press release doesn't say is that the director is David Zucker, a self-proclaimed “9/11 Republican,” and that American Carol is...

Late-Night Takes it Easy on Obama
Late-Night
Takes it Easy
on Obama
ANALYSIS
Jul 15, 2008 7:16 AM CDT

Late-Night Takes it Easy on Obama

From racism to favoritism, comedians explain lack of jokes

(Newser) - John McCain has been skewered by late-night comics throughout the presidential campaign, but Barack Obama has escaped relatively unscathed. As this week's New Yorker cover flare-up made clear, satirists are struggling to find an angle on the Democratic nominee. The New York Times speaks to half a dozen late-night hosts...

Kimmel, Silverman Split Up
 Kimmel, Silverman Split Up 
Jul 14, 2008 5:15 PM CDT

Kimmel, Silverman Split Up

No comment from Damon, Affleck

(Newser) - After 5 years together, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have broken up, reps for the newly minted ex-couple confirmed to Vanity Fair today. "Jimmy and Sarah have and will have no further comment," said a joint statement. Confessions of involvement with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck apparently didn't...

Bernie Mac's Act Too Salty for Obama

Comedian earns rebuke for his racy jokes at fundraiser

(Newser) - Bernie Mac landed in hot water for making off-color jokes about women while introducing Barack Obama at a Chicago fundraiser yesterday, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. His last quip—which had the word "ho's" in it—drew complaints from a heckler. When Obama came on, he chided the comedian playfully....

Friends Film Not Happening
 Friends Film Not Happening 
Jul 4, 2008 5:20 PM CDT

Friends Film Not Happening

'No truth' to rumors sitcom cast, excited over Sex and the City success, would reunite

(Newser) - Media reports of a coming Friends movie are false, the BBC reports. Warner Brothers' publicity director said there was “no truth” to stories of a film project that have circulated since the Sex and the City film became a blockbuster. Publicists for stars Mathew Perry and Courteney Cox say...

Obama's Race a Gift . . . for Comedians

Standups, talk-show hosts go where politicians fear to tread

(Newser) - In this election, at least one group is unafraid to play the race card: comedians. Entertainers may be the only ones who can talk candidly about the subject, the San Jose Mercury News reports. And boy, are they. “I'm voting for Barack Obama," said one comedian. "I...

Seinfeld: Death Was a Laughing Matter for Carlin
Seinfeld: Death Was a Laughing Matter for Carlin
Appreciation
Jun 24, 2008 7:44 AM CDT

Seinfeld: Death Was a Laughing Matter for Carlin

Even when he dies, Jerry'll still wrestle with 'Carlin already did it'

(Newser) - Nine days ago death was just another thing to joke about for George Carlin, writes Jerry Seinfeld in the New York Times. The comics were talking about the deaths of Tim Russert and Bo Diddley, and Carlin said, “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a...

'Genius' Carlin Broke Boundaries
 'Genius' Carlin 
 Broke Boundaries 
appreciation
Jun 23, 2008 7:51 AM CDT

'Genius' Carlin Broke Boundaries

Irreverent sense of humor led to legal troubles

(Newser) - George Carlin was an anti-establishment legend who constantly pushed the boundaries of free speech and comedy, writes Keith St. Clair for the AP. No doubt, his “Seven Words You Should Never Say on Television”—he was arrested for uttering them in 1972, and they eventually led to a...

70s Comic Icon George Carlin Dies

Funnyman, 71, was known for pushing limits

(Newser) - Provocative comedian George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure in a Santa Monica hospital at the age of 71, Reuters reports. The counterculture hero, who long battled heart and drug problems, had been admitted earlier in the day complaining of chest pains. He was known for boundary-stretching, drug-referencing routines. One...

Ventriloquists Speak Up for Themselves

Well, maybe not. But the form is seeing more success these days

(Newser) - Ventriloquism has been on the outs since the '70s, but its fortunes are starting to turn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Symbolizing the resurgence of the vaudeville favorite is Terry Fator, a winner of NBC’s America’s Got Talent competition, who recently picked up a yearlong headlining gig at...

Get Smart Not So Clever
 Get Smart Not So Clever 
movie review
Jun 20, 2008 12:15 PM CDT

Get Smart Not So Clever

Film struggles to balance action and comedy

(Newser) - The film version of the 1960s TV spy parody Get Smart can’t decide if it's an action flick or a comedy, and it shows. It’s “an action comedy that represents the worst of both worlds,” Mick LaSalle writes in the San Francisco Chronicle—“as funny...

Love Guru Is Beyond Help
 Love Guru Is Beyond Help 
movie review
Jun 20, 2008 8:40 AM CDT

Love Guru Is Beyond Help

Critics spurn sophomoric Mike Myers comedy

(Newser) - Love isn't the right word to describe how most critics feel about The Love Guru, Mike Myers' first live-action comedy in 5 years. Myers stars as a self-help guru paid to revive the love life of a hockey player, but his mugging isn't enough to salvage "a collection of...

Deepak Chopra: 'Catch God With His Pants Down'
Deepak Chopra: 'Catch God With His Pants Down'
Opinion
Jun 18, 2008 2:24 PM CDT

Deepak Chopra: 'Catch God With His Pants Down'

Lighten up about religion, says new-age fan of 'Love Guru'

(Newser) - Real-life new-age guru Deepak Chopra is a big fan of Mike Myers' movie, The Love Guru, and writes that laughing at God is exactly what we need right about now. "More comedies should cross the line between vulgar lampoon and reckless disrespect. Let's catch God with his pants down—...

Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics?
 Is Franken 
 Too Vulgar 
 for Politics? 
OPINION
Jun 18, 2008 6:51 AM CDT

Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics?

Pundit thinks funnyman-turned-politician's 'satire' reinforces system's failures

(Newser) - Al Franken was cracking tasteless jokes for decades before entering politics, but it may be his opponent in the Minnesota Senate race who'll be accused of coarsening debate if he dares to brings them up, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. Franken calls his work "provocative, touching, and...

Sex Robots Haunt Franken's Senate Bid

Comedian's past continues to plague Dem run in Minnesota

(Newser) - It’s not easy being a comedian-turned-Senate candidate. Al Franken’s bid to replace first-term Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman has hit some speed bumps lately, Bloomberg reports. Though Franken has nabbed the party’s endorsement, he’s been dogged by bits from his past—like a 2000 Playboy article entitled...

Paul Sills, 'Orson Welles of Improv'
 Paul Sills,
 'Orson Welles
 of Improv' 
Appreciation
Jun 3, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

Paul Sills, 'Orson Welles of Improv'

Second City co-founder, dead at 80, saw movement reach SNL heights

(Newser) - For a performer, Paul Sills kept a pretty low profile. But make no mistake: The Second City co-founder was a massive influence not just on improvisational comedy, but on comedy and theater in general. Without Sills, who died yesterday at 80, there would be no Chicago improv scene, no Saturday ...

A Comic Star is Born?
 A Comic Star is Born? 
May 29, 2008 9:00 PM CDT

A Comic Star is Born?

Much to his surprise, Danny McBride finds himself in demand

(Newser) - He didn’t plan it this way, but Danny McBride will end up in three of the summer’s biggest comedies, the LA Times reports. In The Foot Fist Way, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder, viewers will see McBride get beaten, shot, blown up with a grenade, and tortured—all...

SNL Finale Promises Fall Yuks
 SNL Finale Promises Fall Yuks 
OPINION
May 19, 2008 2:55 PM CDT

SNL Finale Promises Fall Yuks

McCain, Carell boost strong ending; election sure to provide autumn fodder

(Newser) - It’s been a long, sometimes-bumpy road for Saturday Night Live, Tom Shales writes in the Washington Post, but the 33rd season finale showed the cast—and guest John McCain—in fine comic form, and was a ratings success to boot. SNL generally thrives in highly political times, and Shales...

McCain Pitches Old Geezer Jokes on SNL

Candidate, 71, not too ancient to chase youth vote

(Newser) - Although renowned for his fiery temper, John McCain turned up on Saturday Night Live last night to poke a little fun at his age. "What should we be looking for in our next president?" he asked. "Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old.” If elected McCain,...

Top 10 Reasons Hillary Clinton Loves America

Candidate runs down the details for David Letterman

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton took some time off the campaign trail on primary eve to appear on David Letterman. Here, the “Top 10 Reasons Hillary Clinton Loves America”:
  1. We have more Dakotas than every other country combined
  1. Canadian bacon: soggy and chewy; American bacon: crisp and delicious
  1. Thanks to the Internet,
...

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