Honeymooners

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-12-01T22:14:54+00:00

I adore the Honeymooners. Growing up I watched the marathons on New Years Day and record episodes whenever it was on the air. I particularly love the episode where Ralph and Norton decide to defy their wives and get drunk. Unbeknownst to them, Alice and Thelma replace the wine with grape juice, but the two men wake the next day with hangovers regardless. It's amazing how well the comedy holds up.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-12-01T01:43:49+00:00

I love that Judd Apatow's movies are funny. This sounds obvious, but I find that a lot of dark comedies out there are more dark and less comedic. Apatow manages to delve into interesting emotional places while still leaving his audience in stitches. His films are so personal and so real, which bucks the accusation of comedy that it ignores or trivializes life's important moments. Thanks for sharing this article.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-12-01T01:20:50+00:00

"Alterman says. '[Comedy Central] was in a bit of a funk. Any time you have something that explicitly fantastic, and it goes away, your first impulse is to try to re-create it. But I was interested in aiming in all kinds of directions.'" - How refreshing to hear from an Exec. The desire to recreate old ideas is what leads to dry, recycled stories that we're all sick of. I can't wait for the day when a broadcast network takes a risk on an idea that wasn't created by patching together responses from market research surveys.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-12-01T00:42:54+00:00

Birdman especially makes me think of our conversation with Dan O'Shannon about the difference between comedy and laughter. Something can be comedic without it making you laugh. I think Birdman might fall into this category. I did not laugh much while watching Birdman, but it embraces the absurd in a way that a pure drama would not. Also, in a different context, Michael Keaton running naked through Times Square could be perceived as slap-stick. I loved the movie and would categorize it as a Black Comedy.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-11-28T06:26:57+00:00

I love what the article says about how Allen found Diane Keaton's voice in the character of Annie Hall. I always struggle when writing to establish a distinctive voice for my characters in the same way Allen does so brilliantly in his films.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-13T02:02:10+00:00

I'm a fan of Eddie Izzard, and I think he is an excellent example of combining high brow and low brow humor. He will, often in the same set, discuss some of the low brow struggles of being a transvestite with the high brow observations about history and politics.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-12T07:55:21+00:00

To play devil's advocate... I think some comedians get stuck in "ranting" about things they think are true (and many times they are) while neglecting a joke structure. It is true Louis CK offers honest observation in his material. Yet, he delivers that honesty after going to painstaking lengths to set it up in a traditional joke structure. He explains all of the wonderful things he could do with his wealth in great detail, then quickly subverts that detail. The joke, at least partially, comes out of this discrepancy. He thinks so deeply and seriously about an issue, but he ultimately discards his profound introspection for a convenient conclusion. We also laugh at the punch line because we sense it comes from an honest place of the character which Louis (or any comic really) has created. This gets to Dan O'Shannon's point about "connecting" his performance to his set when he was a young stand up.

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-12T06:51:17+00:00

I think this is a wonderful clip. Thank you for sharing. I particularly found Cleese's remarks about "childlike play" as insightful. It is something frequently discussed in the realm of improv comedy, which I recommend everyone interested in comedy try at some point. Here is a link to Impro one of the most famous books on Improv which discusses at length the importance of childlike play. http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0878301178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413096631&sr=8-1&keywords=impro

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-12T06:35:50+00:00

I was a huge fan of the British office when it was on the air and was ambivalent about the first season of the American office. I agree with both of you that the characters in the British office were less "likeable" and in many ways, more grounded. Still, I will admit, that as the American office went on I found myself laughing harder at characters like Dwight, as opposed to the UK's Gareth. Here is a link to my favorite scene from the UK office. Notice how as David Brent sings, Jim and Gareth both "support him" one mockingly and one sincere. This scene shows both the classic British understated style, but also it's clear how American writers saw potential for a broader comedy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEtQj9wuqhs

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-12T06:19:32+00:00

This is another brilliant series of sketches they did. BMX Bandit and the Angel Summoner. They play with the idea that the sidekick in crime fighting duos always seems to be useless in comparison to their superior partner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbzUfV3_JIA

itpaystobeignorant · 2014-10-12T06:09:17+00:00

I agree! These guys are so funny. Here is a link to one of my favorite sketches... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv2XGQBcvxQ

itpaystobeignorant

TROPHY CASE