tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61859278809663322112023-11-16T06:16:00.971-05:00Jester's BlogA feature tied to Jester (www.jesterjournal.com), where editor Michael Shashoua points to developments in comedy that do not otherwise fit into review sections of the site, and cites must-read (or listen) coverage of comedy in other media.mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-55650576316562578172022-11-27T12:07:00.000-05:002022-11-27T12:07:24.590-05:00Memoir publication costs<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This post is an auxiliary to the Kickstarter campaign for "Snapshot of a Warped Man" (working title), my memoir, showing the publication proposal by hybrid publisher Mascot Books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT91RBWxxf5YnFnaLqLhIm-Z_eP6TasOCh3NFL5_E3wEM5JmRwvkQ87nrt6oT81VROCt2yzOa83uRAWxJ0NeEmj8LUZTnT_4l-tUNSRGrA5hibupqEPuH4aYDtdNzqhRHQMxY_AAVYe4RmI4ZJfmu31-SW-y5B39jm4tJWSXniIekcwYIegpDTXFJhog/s664/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="499" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT91RBWxxf5YnFnaLqLhIm-Z_eP6TasOCh3NFL5_E3wEM5JmRwvkQ87nrt6oT81VROCt2yzOa83uRAWxJ0NeEmj8LUZTnT_4l-tUNSRGrA5hibupqEPuH4aYDtdNzqhRHQMxY_AAVYe4RmI4ZJfmu31-SW-y5B39jm4tJWSXniIekcwYIegpDTXFJhog/s320/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H_ZMJte7yzuF7n9GZRTdPAft4vDDL1KBCDcemrwdhS5-AYaDkEwkqcWj-EkDjXywRqM5Tnzx76SaVLYT-PQOpYRHeeA3mVK2CdlEp8ZErZcxkOSJ0NqrPMfPNSDxDmJGCS1v8t10ZpnBNyoCdtx6b4Ax3VOR7ObC8jr48Rro0VmRhpY9pNuRJVFSCQ/s834/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w7-04KactSttSJPIVtXb0I0QG16so-1pnQ0r_vTPGyEe2VrB3yx4i62EP6HU9isWHOqSEIHrx4sN1SZ7fExuXs6P8Qon37UlkeKxWBLj0Tvs3fNsVPnFQPMTuUgVI1etMxzmgXnRQZu1YTM6WFPcSboBt1-0th_M0WOKgv0UrFz7mc8RHe-U3WYCWQ/s706/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w7-04KactSttSJPIVtXb0I0QG16so-1pnQ0r_vTPGyEe2VrB3yx4i62EP6HU9isWHOqSEIHrx4sN1SZ7fExuXs6P8Qon37UlkeKxWBLj0Tvs3fNsVPnFQPMTuUgVI1etMxzmgXnRQZu1YTM6WFPcSboBt1-0th_M0WOKgv0UrFz7mc8RHe-U3WYCWQ/s320/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%207.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTeDUK7BdLkFvasDklXGgi5fcKDTVNAtvd0qVa2B_U68UQkZ9Sn1unrgHAsa_Jr8M3A9yX5wjFirYMW_QklSXshWzgwPOTLKZAG81SX_04RlvFHY--ReYFxnEk4-MyL0tgLWwJoiA9PTymqL7ydQZtxMyxnPTn6T-M8knJ67uJqCG1YeN7TzQuHvNEA/s714/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="642" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTeDUK7BdLkFvasDklXGgi5fcKDTVNAtvd0qVa2B_U68UQkZ9Sn1unrgHAsa_Jr8M3A9yX5wjFirYMW_QklSXshWzgwPOTLKZAG81SX_04RlvFHY--ReYFxnEk4-MyL0tgLWwJoiA9PTymqL7ydQZtxMyxnPTn6T-M8knJ67uJqCG1YeN7TzQuHvNEA/s320/Mascot%20books%20proposal%20item%208.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-31395795124046074822017-11-28T13:08:00.002-05:002017-11-28T13:08:29.078-05:00UCB move<span style="font-size: large;">Just a quick thought. The UCB's Chelsea theater hosted its last performances last night before moving to a new space in Hell's Kitchen sometime in December (the East Village space remains open).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The final night included an opportunity for fans or anyone who signed up to have 60 seconds on their stage to say whatever they wished, and I wished I could have made it and participated. Some time ago, I took classes with the theater and got to perform in some "graduation" shows on that stage. Combined with all the shows I saw at that location, with intense frequency for a few years, it was a formative place for me. I missed it when life moved on and other pursuits took over.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">UCB was in that space, a black box style stage under a supermarket, for about 15 years altogether, and I liked having even a very small part in that. I helped document part of that history, from 2005 to 2010 mostly, and the record of that can still be found on <a href="http://jesterjournal.com/">jesterjournal.com</a>, under the "Sketch" and "Improv" tabs on the left of the homepage. Hope you enjoy looking back.</span>mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-29019130837508688482016-02-17T12:06:00.002-05:002016-02-17T12:06:47.808-05:00Is the future of radio and podcasting in video?
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Howard
Stern recently signed a five-year deal to continue his radio career with Sirius
XM. The deal, Stern has said, happened because the company will make
significant investment into video capability for his show. Stern envisions a “virtual
world” for his listeners and watchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sirius
XM’s overall programming offerings may also morph into video, company executives
have hinted. It’s unclear what an expanded entertainment service from Sirius XM
– for Stern or any other programs – may actually look like, and whether it will
be fed through an app. There also has not been any indication so far about
whether the cost of Sirius XM service may increase, and by how much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile,
Anthony Cumia, who was fired from the “Opie & Anthony” show on Sirius XM in
summer 2014, has since begun his own paid video podcast network, available
online, as a smartphone app, and also on Roku video boxes, for $6.95 a month,
or less for six-month commitments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These
changes raise a big question for radio or podcast format entertainers and
hosts. Is the addition of video worthwhile both artistically and financially?
In Cumia’s case, is making his show primarily video format enough of an
incentive to get subscribers at his asking price? Especially when Hulu,
Netflix, Amazon Prime and others, with wide ranges of programs (including a lot
of talk shows, in Hulu’s case) and large content libraries, are at a monthly
price point that is close to $7, or not much more than that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Stern
has a bigger fan base and higher profile than Cumia, but faces a similar issue
if the cost of an expanded video and virtual content offering drives up the
asking price of Sirius XM service. In the case of Stern and Sirius, this is
mitigated by the presence of other content as part of the service, including
content that presumably will be similarly upgraded. The other question with
Sirius and Stern, however, is that at about $14.99 a month, its programming
offering is still rooted in audio-only fare, such as music channels and talk
and interview shows, and its distribution channel (specialized car radios and
an app) is more limited than that of Netflix – if the result is that Sirius XM
really does become a Netflix competitor in the process of the planned changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
paid model now being used by former broadcasters such as Stern and Cumia
differs from what most popular podcasters use, a sponsorship-based model that
is closer to traditional terrestrial radio. The most popular podcasts are split
between those by former broadcasters such as Adam Carolla – or current
broadcasters providing expanded versions of their shows on podcasts – like Jesse
Thorn or Ira Glass – and comedians turned hosts, like Marc Maron and Chris
Hardwick. The free, sponsor-supported podcast model seems even less likely to
support video or virtual expansion – but the audio-only nature of its
programming may be what makes its appeal so strong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-36741151457538057872016-01-23T12:34:00.000-05:002016-01-23T12:34:15.637-05:00A take on "Man in the High Castle"
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Last
month, in “The Watch” podcast on “Channel 33,” part of the Bill Simmons Podcast
Network, hosts Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald were promising to give their take
on the Amazon drama series “The Man in the High Castle.” I’m not sure if they
ever got to it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Since
I have binged through its first season, not too long after it was released, I’d
like to offer a public service by giving a take on the show. The marketing and
advertising for “High Castle” positioned the series as an alternative history
story about what the world would be like if the Nazis and Japanese won World
War II. This idea has been tackled in other incarnations before, namely the
Robert Harris novel “Fatherland” and a cable movie that was made from that
book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Alternative
history stories, however, are really more concerned with – or should be about –
what the politics, society and characters’ lives end up being like in a reality
that could have happened, but never did. “High Castle” is different than that,
and as a result may end up being disappointing to alternative history fans
drawn in by its premise as it was promoted. The DNA of its story comes from the
sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick, whose mind-bending works have been adapted for
film and TV with varying degrees of success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Blade
Runner,” “Total Recall” and “Minority Report” are all based on Dick’s fiction
and share certain similar plot developments in which certain actions can open
up or lead to different outcomes in fantastic or unreal fashion. “High Castle”
is really more about this kind of storytelling than about making the
alternative history seem believable or rooted in a new reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
prominent element in trailers for “High Castle” is the existence of bootleg
newsreels that show the Allies winning the war. One thinks that explaining how
these newsreels came to be or what they mean would figure prominently in the
series, but it ended up being almost a soap opera masquerading as a thriller or
spy story, with intrigue around one character, and whether he is a double
agent, or whether his sympathies lie with the Nazis or a resistance group. This
goes on for the first six or seven episodes until the Phillip K. Dick sci-fi
elements really start to kick in, revealing the series’ real intentions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll
try to tell this part without spoiling anything. I’m not even sure I fully
understood all the twists or the mechanics of the plotting, but the concern
over the newsreels does re-surface in terms of another character, a Nazi
officer who is going to betray his comrades and attempt to assassinate Hitler
(still in power in the early 1960s, but aging and vulnerable, or so we think).
Suffice to say, pre-cognition (a prominent idea in “Minority Report”) comes
into play, leading to a different outcome than we expect. And, in parallel, one
of the powerful Japanese characters (who control the western half of the former
United States), finds himself suddenly in an alternate reality brought on by
the actions of that rogue Nazi in the east.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
short, “High Castle” really should be thought of as a Phillip K. Dick
mind-bending sci-fi story, with a very slight alternative history veneer lacquered
on top of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-89598978748146068172015-05-30T11:18:00.001-04:002015-06-07T11:35:28.967-04:00TV sitcoms recap<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
had been brewing and tinkering with the following blog idea a little too long,
and now it’s probably out of date. I wanted to give a take on sitcoms as the TV
season wrapped up, as much as the old-school notion of a TV season from
September through May is even still a thing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So
here’s a quick take on a few shows, really my favorites or what’s currently
interesting to me, and where I think they stand in their run – are they
continuing to build in quality and creativity, holding firm, or declining?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
one sitcom that is truly not just improving but has been consistently “killing
it,” with writing and acting on such a high level that it rarely missteps, is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Goldbergs
(ABC)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
way this show’s first two seasons have gone, it’s inconceivable that it will
not continue to be an on-target re-creation of what it was like growing up in
the 1980s in the Northeast, and more specifically the Philly suburbs. The only
thing that could sink it is if they run out of ideas, but the personalities of
the characters are so vivid and well-realized that they ought to easily
complete five seasons and become big in syndication – these episodes definitely
are going to bear repeat viewing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These
two are definitely on the rise, following their first seasons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Odd Couple</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(CBS)</b> – This version of a classic walks
a fine line between being a too-conventional laugh-track sitcom and having a
bit more depth, as a multiple camera studio-shot sitcom. The season ended on a
promising note, setting up movement forward for the characters, with Thomas
Lennon’s Felix hooking up with Emily, who had long been interested in him even
though he was oblivious, and Matthew Perry’s Oscar and his ex-wife realizing
that reconciling wouldn’t be a good idea.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Last Man on
Earth (Fox)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
– At a certain point in its season, most of its viewers were wondering it needed
to or would keep adding cast members. But it made a key plot twist near the
season’s end that set itself up very nicely for its now-confirmed second
season. Having leads Will Forte and Kristen Schaal leave the growing community,
and revealing that Forte indeed has a brother played by SNL castmate Jason
Sudeikis, who was marooned in space when most of humanity got wiped out, opens
up the possibility of better surprises next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And,
about some others: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Big Bang Theory
(CBS)</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox) </b>are
continuing to work their formulas to good effect, with Big Bang Theory throwing
in another character development twist at season’s end. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
was never really a fan of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2 Broke Girls</b>,
but what I do catch of it seems to be getting worse and worse, with an
ever-hackier stream of innuendos continuing to decline in quality. Might be
only one more season of this before it has to be put out of its misery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
shamefully there is not a single <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NBC</b>
sitcom I can think of that has any importance to discuss here. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One Big Happy</b> (already canceled?) was
an even worse version of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Up All Night</b>.
Yet NBC exiled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Community</b> to Yahoo,
and passed on picking up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unbreakable
Kimmy Schmidt</b>, which was so good, I just binged (smashed?) the whole thing
on Netflix in a few weeks. As my friend Wayne Thomas would say, all their
programmers should be fired.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Postscript (added June 7, 2015): I have to amend something in this blog item -- the last season of Community on NBC was strong, but I have now see the first episode of the sixth season on Yahoo, and something has gone drastically wrong with that show. The tone was completely off, the characters were no longer displaying their personalities as we'd come to know them over the past seasons of the show, and there were several attempts at jokes and humor that felt flat or hacky. Not sure what has happened, but if NBC had a right of first refusal on this material, it's no wonder that they would have passed.</div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-84531960450402116912015-05-30T11:01:00.003-04:002015-05-30T11:01:59.246-04:00Comedy Books Roundup<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of
the upcoming books by comedians or comedic performers being promoted this year
at BookExpo America, the publishing industry’s annual trade show, the common
trait to most of them is that they aren’t just autobiographies or collections
of stand-up or comedy material.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To
begin with, titles by Whoopi Goldberg, Aziz Ansari and Dick Van Dyke all
contain a self-help or advice element. Ansari’s “Modern Romance,” coming in
just a few weeks (for which we hope to have an early review), finds the
comedian blending research from social scientists with his own comedic angle on
relationships as he delivers in his act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
the fall, Goldberg will publish “Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships,” her own
personal take on love and marriage. And Van Dyke will publish “Keep Moving: And
Other Tips and Truths About Aging,” a follow-up to his memoir, “My Lucky Life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There
are a couple other comedy-oriented titles to look forward to, also being
promoted at BookExpo: “Why Not Me?” by Mindy Kaling, which sounds like it might
also be in the self-help genre, but has been described as personal comedic
essays, and “Gumption” by Nick Offerman, a follow-up to his “Paddle Your Own
Canoe,” that basically puts more of his solo comedy material out there, in the
vein of his “American Ham” special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-69250212377122464402015-04-22T12:00:00.003-04:002015-04-22T12:00:32.268-04:00Late Night Hosts Trading Block
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Inspired by a
<a href="http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-trade-machine/" target="_blank">recent Grantland column</a> about wish-fulfillment of who should or shouldn’t be in
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, our longtime supporter and new columnist,
Wayne Thomas, takes the same approach to the late night talk-show host shakeups
of recent months.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">From
what I've seen, James Corden works big time. Hell, maybe he should get the Late
Show, he could easily compete with Fallon and Kimmel. Fallon, beyond his music
bits, his interview skills kinda suck. Why can't Stewart and Colbert stay/go
back to their respective shows? They were the tops. I miss Ferguson and even Kilborn.
Too bad there isn't a place for these guys. <br />
<br />
Most of these shows would work better if they were a half hour. Maybe except Kimmel.
His guests always seem relevant, his interview skills are killer, and he gets
great bands (Van Halen, anyone?). So here are my late night re-assignments:<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jon Stewart:</b> He stays with The Daily
Show, gets rid of the boring guests at end of show, that's where he interviews
pop stars.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Colbert:</b> Stays on the Colbert Report,
Larry Wilmore goes back to being the senior black correspondent on TDS<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">John Oliver:</b> Stays exactly where he
is, he is killing it.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Tonight Show</b>: Give it to Kimmel,
the show itself is an institution, stays/goes back to California.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Late Nite:</b> Give it back to Conan,
the show is too late as it is anyway, and nobody watches TBS.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seth Meyers:</b> Fired.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jimmy Fallon:</b> He's good for some
music parodies, he could show up with the Roots as a reoccurring guest on Late Nite
or go back to SNL<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SNL:</b> Fire Lorne Michaels
immediately. Reduce it to an hour, no musical guest or maybe one song, bring
back Tina Fey & Amy Poehler<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Late Show:</b> Yeah, Letterman needs
to retire, he's overstayed his welcome just as Carson did. Give the show to James
Corden.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Late, Late Show:</b> Hmm, reduce to a
half-hour, bring back Ferguson, maybe one guest per night. Definitely get rid
of Reggie Watts, send him back to Comedy Bang-Bang, then cancel Comedy Bang-Bang.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Craig Kilborn:</b> Since I took Kimmel
from ABC, maybe ABC can put Kilborn back on the air, light hearted half-hour
pop star interview show, which he'll probably quit in five years anyway, 'cause
he's ungrateful.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Carson Daly:</b> Fired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>---<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Wayne, I’d have
some tweaks to this – and you do know, none of this would ever in a million
years happen, but anyway…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tweaks:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Give
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">John Oliver</b> an hour. 30 minutes is
too short for him. They extended the recent Edward Snowden episode anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With
ABC tied to ESPN, ought to make <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kilborn</b>
do double duty, make half hour of his show about sports and air on both
networks. Or re-team him with Keith Olbermann.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">More
substantially, too soon to anoint <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">James Corden
</b>‘King of Late Night.’ <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Samantha Bee
and Jason Jones</b> should have taken over The Daily Show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Why
not a version of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marc Maron</b>’s “WTF”
interviews in the 1:30 am “Later”/Carson Daly spot?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What, nothing about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bill Maher</b>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-70716364381152724082015-02-07T10:47:00.000-05:002015-02-07T10:47:00.424-05:00J.B. Smoove Reins It In
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Catching
comedian J.B. Smoove’s appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman on
February 4, I found it interesting how this very physical comedian whose
movements on stage are broad and big, adapted to being a seated guest on a late
night talk show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">J.B.
Smoove’s interactions with Letterman were still more physical than verbal –
again, interesting, because Smoove is also very talkative as a performer.
Paying tribute to Letterman because of his upcoming retirement, Smoove told
Dave that he needed to strike a pose befitting his status as an icon, setting
Letterman up nicely – he leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head, a “what
me worry?” grin on his face and raised a blurred middle finger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Smoove
is no newbie either, and these two old pros were riffing and improvising within
the physical limitations of staying seated. Smoove responded that he never
wanted to be looking directly at the camera, striking a thoughtful pose of his
own, then hitting on another bit of physical comedy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I
just wanna be pointing things out,” Smoove said, stretching his arm out toward
stage right, “like I’m on the grassy knoll. Something ain’t right over there!”
Letterman chuckled in recognition in this surreal bit of humor that Smoove
generated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-70082334468456578002014-06-29T13:31:00.000-04:002014-06-29T13:31:46.140-04:00Further Thoughts About Band-Dom and Mike Doughty<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Having
caught up to “Circles” by Mike Doughty, mentioned in a previous blog <a href="http://mshashoua.blogspot.com/2014/06/finding-science-of-band-dom-with.html" target="_blank">entry</a>, I’m
very much wondering why he chose to revisit his Soul Coughing songs in the way
he did here. If I were reviewing the album, I’d only give it about one star out
of five. Most of the revised versions find Doughty delivering the words with
less feeling and more by rote than he did on the originals, and the backing
music used is more monotonous and lacks the nuance that his old bandmates,
however much he despises them, provided.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Just
two tracks here really do anything different or worthwhile, and those are the
songs “Mr. Bitterness” and “St. Louise Is Listening.” The former makes the song
something different and more mysterious with an acoustic guitar treatment, and the
latter cranks up the intensity with Doughty’s vocal, which adds a portentous
tone different than the original.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
new version of “Super Bon Bon,” the song that first turned me on to Soul
Coughing, is really disappointing, wrecked utterly by a needless and
unnecessary chattering background vocal effect that Doughty has added here –
even without that and/or without the original arrangement, this version would
still seem flat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
like both Soul Coughing and Doughty’s solo work, but Doughty said in his memoir
“The Book of Drugs” and elsewhere that the Soul Coughing recordings aren’t how
he envisioned those songs as the main author of them. If that’s so, and this is
how he imagined the sound of these songs, then he really gained something
better from those collaborators, even if they never got along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
possible these versions could somehow grow on me over time – the enunciation of
the words is in some cases clearer – but that alone isn’t enough, and sometimes
overall sound and production is more important to great music. It’s not like
Doughty can’t or doesn’t do that in his solo work – check out a short track
like “More Bacon Than The Pan Can Handle” or for that matter, “Golden
Delicious,” the album it’s on. It just appears that in revisiting the Soul
Coughing songs he couldn’t help but let his conflicted feelings about that time
hamper the work. There are countless creative things he could have done with
those songs that weren’t attempted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-58220508937009199072014-06-14T10:20:00.001-04:002014-06-14T10:20:19.184-04:00Michael Che: A Must SeeMichael Che, the newest Daily Show correspondent, has also done an episode of Comedy Central's showcase series "The Half Hour" that I can say is well worth catching, even just on the basis of having seen the short highlights version available <a href="http://www.cc.com/episodes/gb1mal/the-half-hour-michael-che-season-3-ep-302" target="_blank">here</a> for non-subscribers (or for streaming purchase <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KUZFG8Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KUZFG8Q&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20">here</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00KUZFG8Q" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />). <br />
<br />
Just to quickly give an example of the imagination Che has in his material -- he mentions the US debt to China, and says "I don't owe China billions of dollars. I owe Sprint $90. So you must be doing a lot of roaming, or something..." <br />
<br />
In just a few segments so far on the Daily Show, Che is already also making his mark, especially in a piece he did with Jordan Klepper satirizing the recent campaign by gun nuts carrying in public, which can be seen in full <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/14muzr/2nd-amendment-manners-do-s-and-don-ts" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
So, with his debut splash on Comedy Central and getting started as a Daily Show correspondent, Michael Che is clearly a comedian to watch.<br />
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-42919727847337617142014-06-08T12:41:00.000-04:002014-06-08T12:41:04.579-04:00Finding The Science of Band-dom (With Apologies to Mike Doughty)<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Two
groups and singers that I've been a big fan of over the years are Live, which
was fronted by Ed Kowalczyk and Soul Coughing, fronted by Mike Doughty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Both
frontmen departed in a fracturing with their bandmates. Doughty broke up the
group after a three-album run through the late 1990s while Live had a much
longer run and sold more albums than Soul Coughing. In both cases however, the
singers were outsiders who joined with three bandmates who already knew each
other and were playing together. (Details can be found in Doughty’s
autobiography <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306818779/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0306818779&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=L5M4GCA2DS5T2UE6">The Book of Drugs</a>, to which this blog entry is indebted.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So
the question and the point of this blog entry is whether the output when these
singers when with their bands was greater than they have managed solo. Anything
is going to be matter of taste, certainly – and the fracturing of the music
industry right around or before the time both singers ended up becoming solo
artists did not help their causes. Once Doughty and Kowalczyk went solo,
however, they lost the organically connected bands that gave their songs an
extra something, however disconnected these singers may have been personally
from their bandmates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
Kowalczyk began his solo career five years ago. It's evident now that all the
lyrical and songwriting inspiration of Live was all him, and he still is coming
up with great songs like “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A5R2XUS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00A5R2XUS&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=3NJ5BPBTUAAYEWNJ">The Garden</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00A5R2XUS" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />” in 2012 and “Seven” in 2013. If these
also had the music business promotion behind them that he enjoyed with Live,
they would have been huge “Throwing Copper” size hits.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Doughty
has been solo much longer, since about 2000, and has gone with a semi acoustic
style without the hip-hop inflections his Soul Coughing bandmates provided.
Without those though, a bit of the propulsion his music had sometimes is
missing. However, I am a bit behind on his recent work, and more than 10 years
after Soul Coughing broke up, he’s revisited his favorite songs from those ays
on a new album [provisionally titled “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DWFQ4PK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00DWFQ4PK&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=WFOGZZUWWLKBS4NI">Circles</a>,” but really titled with all the
names of all 13 tracks] more in keeping with his style as a solo artist, which
will be interesting to hear. Maybe a follow-up blog entry in store…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-41105079829182726162014-05-31T11:37:00.003-04:002014-06-01T12:04:40.673-04:00Comedy Books RoundupEach
year, the Blog drops into BookExpo America (BEA), the publishing industry’s
annual trade show, to keep an eye out for books about or related to comedy.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
few better known personalities have books coming
out in the fall, that were already being promoted to booksellers at the show,
namely Norman Lear, Neil Patrick Harris and B.J. Novak. Norman Lear, the creator of “All In
The Family” (which the Blog has been enjoying recently, catching episodes never
seen or remembered…), now 91 years old, will be publishing “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594205728/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594205728&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=IFDJZ6JUCKS6WYJ7">Even This I Get to Experience</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1594205728" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,” an autobiography that will include accounts of how he created that
and other classic TV sitcoms.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtAEwvQcA4r95GJLpUAFf8oHHFUvqrgTTM2xlnVEk3GGT6lQfj1p4eD0VhtJjc06iB7pSBXWGIGDe6LEg5e4FJ-lIzrLIzeXS3QNlN3sSi_n7oczwDFefVSEVCaxQL3CefnjZi4km5ZTf/s1600/Neil+Patrick+Harris+at+BEA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtAEwvQcA4r95GJLpUAFf8oHHFUvqrgTTM2xlnVEk3GGT6lQfj1p4eD0VhtJjc06iB7pSBXWGIGDe6LEg5e4FJ-lIzrLIzeXS3QNlN3sSi_n7oczwDFefVSEVCaxQL3CefnjZi4km5ZTf/s1600/Neil+Patrick+Harris+at+BEA.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Neil
Patrick Harris of “How I Met Your Mother” and myriad awards show hosting jobs, was
on hand to promote “<u><span style="color: #0066cc;">Choose Your Own Autobiography</span></u>,” also planned for October,
in which he will have fun with the old “Choose Your Own Adventure” format books
to tell his own life story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
addition, B.J. Novak of “The Office” was on hand promoting “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803741715/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803741715&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=MY3T54PHA6MVJSAJ">The Book with No Pictures</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0803741715" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,” a children’s book that is a follow-up to </span>“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385351836/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385351836&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=ORQQCKJZWHBC2C4U">One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0385351836" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,” his collection of short fictional comedic stories, published
back in February, in the style of Woody Allen or Albert Brooks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But
celebrities aren’t the only authors of note, of course. Rainbow Rowell, an
author previously unfamiliar to the Blog, had attracted a long line of
attendees to her signing of her next novel, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250049377/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250049377&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=TT5SUKU2LEANRNDE">Landline</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1250049377" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.” Her novels, while
dramatic, are laced through with comedic aspects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Also
of interest for coming months, and spotted at the show, was “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816694532/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0816694532&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20&linkId=V4INVWTAWUGJHNF2">Best to Laugh</a>,” by
Lorna Landvik, a comedic Hollywood novel that is populated with quirky
characters similar to those created by Janet Evanovich in the mystery genre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em>You may order or pre-order any of the titles noted above on Amazon through the links on the titles.</em></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-73491119782697385792014-05-20T20:00:00.000-04:002014-05-20T20:00:01.067-04:00High Points and the Overlooked<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
don’t always get to everything that I might review on <a href="http://www.jesterjournal.com/" target="_blank">Jester</a>, or want to review. Certainly, there have been some great
hours of stand-up released as albums, as HBO specials, or otherwise, that for
lack of time over the past year or more, I haven’t highlighted on Jester.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thinking
about what was missed that may or did rise to the level of Aziz Ansari’s <a href="http://jesterjournal.com/Ansari10.htm" target="_blank">2010special</a>, “Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening,” or further back, to Dave
Attell’s now-classic album “Skanks for the Memories” from 2003, a few specials
come to mind. In the past year, Sarah Silverman’s “We Are Miracles” special
(for HBO) was an especially good piece of work that had previously escaped my
attention. Aside from new plays on acting innocent or naïve while saying very
transgressive things, Silverman closes the special with a greatly outrageous
song, that would have been passed around underground in the days before online
media proliferation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Stretching
back even further, over the past five years or more, there have been some HBO
hours that have stood the test of time so far as being great. Ricky Gervais’
“Out of England,” from 2008, is one of these, from its delightfully ridiculous
opening where Gervais takes the stage to a bombastic Queen song with big lights
spelling out “RICKY” behind him on the stag, to the piece where he reads
verbatim suggestions from a 1980s public service postcard encouraging gay men
to practice safe sex, all couched as “Why not …” try this or that ridiculous
action, like coming out an open window.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Also,
looking back over specials that I have reviewed in the past year or more,
certain ones stand out as having had great work in them, or especially
memorable and quotable moments. Liam McEneaney’s <a href="http://jesterjournal.com/McEneaney.html" target="_blank">“Comedian”</a> has too many
of these to start quoting or choosing any single one, but his story of an inept
friend trying to rob a bank in the South Bronx certainly is a stand-out.
Smaller classic moments include <a href="http://jesterjournal.com/Holmes13.html" target="_blank">Pete Holmes’ </a>bit about delight with homophones
(soundalike words), “Pierce!!!/Juan!!!” in his special “Nice Try, The Devil,” and
<a href="http://jesterjournal.com/Kinane.html" target="_blank">Kyle Kinane</a>’s story in his “Whiskey Icarus” special about sitting next to a guy
on a flight next to him who had brought a trash bag full of pancakes to eat on
the journey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
just bring all of these up, both previously reviewed and un-reviewed, as
examples of what I would want to say if asked what stand-up specials I really
thought were the cream of the crop in recent years.</span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-63184024126140321592014-01-01T14:41:00.002-05:002014-01-01T14:41:09.572-05:00Huffman Koos: Fraudsters extraordinaire, who don't even know the meaning of customer service<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_52c46e8f2129d2a31221913">
Here is the complete story & sets of FB posts. Please re-post to Huffman Koos FB page at facebook.com/HuffmanKoos and on their Twitter handle: @HuffmanKoos (will provide short bit link to do soon...)<br /><br /> From 20 hours ago (night of Dec. 31):<br /><br /> This is the beginning of the story that happened last night (as told to the company on their FB page, and still they are playing games with me): <span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /><br /> I hope it's a Happy New Year's Eve for you, because it certainly isn't one for me, as our furniture delivery that was scheduled for between 11 am-3 pm today STILL hasn't shown up and no one there is making any visible effort to find out...<br /><br /> This quote on your website is such a JOKE: We strive to give customers the best possible experience they can have when purchasing furniture. ... Well you have given me the worst possible experience I could have had. Now we have to spend our New Year's Eve dealing with these IDIOTS!!! I recommend anyone reading this never do business with them.<br /><br /> Update from today (Jan. 1, 2014):<br /><br /> Huffman Koos furniture. A fraudulent enterprise. To continue the story I started posting last night, they finally arrived with the furniture 4 1/2 hours AFTER scheduled delivery window of 11 am-3 pm. Then ran off with my keys and are being slow and uncooperative about returning them. Also read this for background on their CEO, who was convicted of fraud, and somehow is STILL their CEO (as confirmed by one of their employees who I asked within the past hour)!!! Unbelievable. <br /><br /> For more details, read here:<br /><a href="http://cliffviewpilot.com/huffman-koos-honcho-admits-skimming-3-8m/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://cliffviewpilot.com/huffman-koos-honcho-admits-skimming-3-8m/</a></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-56859862245255547802013-11-19T22:35:00.000-05:002013-11-19T22:35:10.836-05:00The book on comicsSaw the documentary "Dear Mr. Watterson," about the comic strip "Calvin & Hobbes" by Bill Watterson. Berke Breathed, the creator of "Bloom County," talks about Watterson in the film, and shows a cartoon Watterson drew on a letter to him with a caricature depicting Breathed giving in to the merchandising machine.<br />
<br />
When these comics were both being published in their original runs, I was a bigger fan of "Bloom County," because it seemed edgy to me. What the documentary explained, that I didn't realize at the time, is that Watterson was the real revolutionary because he never allowed his work to be merchandised in the form of toys, lunchboxes or anything else. Watterson wanted the strip to stand on its own merits, for all time. That stance appears to have gained "Calvin & Hobbes" a deep and abiding appreciation from fans to this day.mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-69556750027622500822013-10-06T10:14:00.004-04:002013-10-06T10:14:36.981-04:00AbsentI've been away from keeping up my site jesterjournal.com as much recently, and completely for the past couple weeks. The former because life events have taken over now; the latter because my computer melted down, and it's in the shop right now (so there hasn't been an updated October calendar posted, or new reviews recently).<br />
<br />
Wish I could actually put this on the site itself for explanation, but that may take a few more days at least. I wanted to get it out there somewhere.<br />
<br />
Anyway, once the technical problems are sorted out, it still will be running on a reduced basis because of these other focuses happening now. But I hope you'll still check it out and refer back to it from time to time.mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-14151536224751102462013-06-14T15:28:00.000-04:002013-06-14T15:28:03.363-04:00The Big Sitcom TheoryA lot of my family and friends are fans of "The Big Bang Theory" but I really have never favored many of the CBS sitcoms, especially the rat-a-tat, joke-joke-joke Chuck Lorre style ones.<br />
<br />
This is a few weeks old now, but I did catch Bob Newhart's guest starring spot on the aforementioned show, and the respected comedy icon had a nice way of slowing down the pace with his performance, holding everything a beat or two longer than normal for the show, and thus making the episode funnier than it might otherwise have been.<br />
<br />
Newhart's performance reinforced my point -- a sitcom needs something more than just hammering away with jokes to really be interesting. He injected something else into the proceedings, even on a multi-camera, largely studio-bound show. mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-33667658234855763682013-05-11T12:01:00.002-04:002013-05-11T15:39:59.708-04:00Killing Spree<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
I put out there with Jester is an intense interest in comedy performance, but I’m
just as equally into well-told dramatic TV and film, and have been for an
equally long time – I just don’t write about it very often.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Anyway,
I’ve gotten inspired to do so again by catching up to episodes of the AMC
series “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004X1VUNI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004X1VUNI&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20">The Killing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004X1VUNI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,” which returns next month for its third season. I’m
currently on the first few episodes of season 2 and thankfully have managed to
avoid any major spoilers. (Please don’t tell me any!) I had heard people were
disappointed and felt let down that season 1 did not conclude with a resolution
of the murder case at the center of the story, but when you marathon-watch the
episodes, that doesn’t matter so much.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">From
the start of watching The Killing, I was immediately reminded of one of my
favorites, the 1990s NBC series “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BLNGTS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002BLNGTS&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20">Homicide</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002BLNGTS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,” whose creators Tom Fontana and
David Simon went on to do the HBO series “Oz,” “The Corner,” “The Wire” and “Treme”
(the latter three being all Simon’s), among other works. Despite the mastery of
those shows, The Killing, in tone and subject matter, could be called the true
successor to Homicide.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It
starts with something as small as the credits’ theme music -- airy flutes over
percussion that sounds like wood striking wood – and the visuals of abstract
close-up colors depicting sirens, rain, a murdered body and other images. The
tone of this introduction then bleeds into the action and the story itself. The
Killing’s central detectives, Linder (Mireille Enos) and Holden (Joel Kinnaman),
parallel Homicide’s Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Bayliss (Kyle Secor). Linder
and Pembleton are the intense, focused ones and Holden and Bayliss are more
casual and sometimes screwed-up.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
large portion of Homicide’s first season also focused on the murder of a young
girl, with Pembleton and Bayliss chasing several red herrings and dead ends.
Some of the criticism of The Killing – admittedly I had to skim it to avoid
spoilers – sprung from fan frustration at the way one possible suspect after
another was eliminated as a possibility, leaving our protagonists Linder and
Holden no closer to catching the killer. In the current television and pop
culture universe, audiences have less patience for this type of storytelling
than they might have when Homicide aired – hence the online chatter.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Just
as Homicide did, The Killing points out that real life doesn’t usually offer
the decisive resolutions that the Law & Order franchise, for all its
dramatic excellence, still does. With that, The Killing yields great
characterizations even in small parts. The detectives’ interrogation of Belko
Royce (Brendan Sexton III) and that character’s twisted relationship with his
mother recalls a scene in Homicide’s first season about Calpurnia Jones, who kills
off husbands and family members for insurance money. The detectives are
interviewing her very dim nephew, who reveals, “My wife, Aunt Calpurnia…” You
can just imagine the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Aside
from this dark comic example, larger aspects of both shows have parallels –
highlighting depressed American cities outside the media capitals of NY, LA, SF
and DC as their settings – Seattle and Baltimore respectively. The police brass
in both shows are mired in department politics and bureaucratic pressures. And
when there’s real danger, you really feel it, as when Pembleton is threatened in
“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002NY830/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002NY830&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20">The Gas Man</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002NY830" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />” episode and when Linder makes a discovery about mayoral candidate
Richmond toward the end of the first season, while at his apartment to speak
with him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With
so many parallels, the creator of The Killing, Veena Sud, has got to be a fan
of Homicide. Sud previously did extensive writing and editing work on the late,
lamented CBS show Cold Case, and undoubtedly is steeped in crime fiction
television as a viewer as well.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Even
if The Killing doesn’t go beyond a third season – which is still a possibility
if the twists and turns don’t continue to stay true to this crime fiction TV
standard, it’s already made a mark as a classic piece of work, and an inheritor
of the Homicide mantle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-29518717444660731972013-03-18T21:50:00.002-04:002013-03-18T21:50:40.800-04:00Adam Carolla - Dennis Prager eveningWhile on vacation in Southern California this past week, saw a performance of Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager's touring conversation show at Cal State Northridge on March 16. As a frequent listener to Carolla's podcast, but less familiar with Prager, a conservative syndicated radio talk show host, it appeared to me that Prager, who may be more well-thought out on his own air, lost some of his logic in trying to keep up banter and witticisms back and forth with Carolla.<br />
<br />
At one point, remarking on political correctness, Prager said we are choosing between fighting evil and fighting carbon emissions, which is really a false choice. Just because we ought to fight evil, it doesn't mean we shouldn't also be concerned about global warming, or can't be. Prager also pulled up another example of what he believes is liberalism gone too far -- President Obama's admittedly misstated remark, "you didn't build that," made while attempting to explain the benefits government can provide, like an interstate highway system. But again, Prager couched his criticism using a false choice, saying that the same roads liberals want to claim credit for as infrastructure that supports commerce -- are also the same roads rapists use. Well, sure, but society would never build anything if it went by the possibility that it could conceivably make crimes possible on a very tangential basis.<br />
<br />
In contrast, Carolla is experienced at making what could be considered political points and doing so humorously, which showed on this evening. Further elaborating on those who allege that there is "white privilege" in society that ought to be compensated, he tells a story of applying to be a firefighter in L.A. when he was 19, and not getting called to take the test for nine years. Carolla decided to go take the test anyway at that point, and of course found minority applicants in line to take the test who had only just applied that week. Skillfully told, as you might agree.<br />
<br />
Carolla may enjoy working with Prager and the banter they have, but I expected a bit more after having enjoyed a previously recorded version of this show that the duo did last year, in which they seemed to draw the humor more organically out of their conversation. On this night, Prager sounded more unglued, possibly out of an effort to try and keep up with Carolla's wit, or to be as entertaining or funny, when that isn't really his forte.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-88817050117300163912013-03-13T11:43:00.002-04:002013-03-17T22:12:22.485-04:00The Heisenberg - Disney experimentI recalled that when I went to the Googa Mooga fest in Brooklyn's Prospect Park last May, and wore my Heisenberg t-shirt referencing Breaking Bad, I probably got about 3 or 4 compliments or comments recognizing the show.<br />
<br />
Here in Southern California for vacation, on the inevitable Disneyland day, I decided to break out the Heisenberg shirt again.<br />
<br />
Granted, there may be a lot more people that I encountered, at a much faster rate, and over a longer time, but I still got more nods for Heisenberg there than in the heart of hipster Brooklyn ... 7 overall.
Perhaps Disney patrons are hipper than anyone might have guessed.mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-18606991213531830592013-02-21T22:41:00.001-05:002013-02-21T22:41:17.971-05:00Die Hard 5 ... as reviewed by my momThis is just too good not to share:<br />
<br />
"I wanted to see a shoot-em-up, <strong>destroy the neighborhood</strong> movie one time out of curiosity. I will say that in the scenes in the movie where acting ability was required, the actors did a fine job. They all showed ability to carry roles in other movies where more acting would have been required."<br />
<br />
I have to say, I think this is the birth of a new movie genre, the "destroy-the-neighborhood" film, where only the barest hint of acting is required, no matter how fine a job the actors can do.<br />
<br />
<br />mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-20073913459470411892013-02-20T22:16:00.004-05:002013-02-20T22:16:30.827-05:00Cheap LaughsThis story about the <a href="http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/theater/upright-citizens-brigade-grows-by-not-paying-performers.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=arts" target="_blank">UCB Theatre's practice of not paying performers</a> is sparking controversy among comedic performers in New York. I wonder what everyone thinks and who's right. Please write me or feel free to comment on this post.<br />
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-58699769044460386092013-02-02T13:19:00.002-05:002013-02-02T13:19:30.227-05:00Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex StuffI had wanted to also publish a full-length review of Amy Schumer's latest special, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3A3V0I/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00A3A3V0I&linkCode=as2&tag=jester-20">Mostly Sex Stuff</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jester-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00A3A3V0I" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />," this week, but demands of work, school and also fighting off the same cold everyone seems to have and can't get rid of have kept me from getting to it.<br />
<br />
Have taken a look at most of the hour though, and can say that this time around, her performance is more interactive with the audience, and more exclusively drawing on sexual topics but presented with the dark twists also heard in Anthony Jeselnik's material or the style also used by others she's touring with this season on a package tour (Jim Norton, Dave Attell and Artie Lange). <br />
<br />
Schumer's debut, "Cutting," introduced her with strong material. This one is a little less consistent and less uproarious. The material isn't as resonant and doesn't connect as well as Kyle Kinane, subject of the rave review given this week on the site.mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-67221040568441303392013-01-12T10:47:00.001-05:002013-01-12T10:47:37.591-05:00Where To See Kroll's Best
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
very late to it, but rapidly catching up on the FX series “The League,” which
features a few UCB-spawned performers, including Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas
and Nick Kroll, in its well calibrated ensemble cast. And for Kroll, who's debuting his showcase "Kroll Show" this coming week on Comedy Central, it's still probably his best work.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
show began on the marketing hook of being about the travails of players in a
fantasy football league, complete with guest appearances by Terry Bradshaw,
Chad Ochocinco and other football players and broadcasters. But after its first season, it
morphed into being more about the characters’ misadventures, and started to
show its pedigree as being created by former “Seinfeld” writer/producer Jeff
Schaffer with his wife Jackie Marcus Schaffer. The stories in this half-hour
comedy now often reach successfully for catchphrases, just like “Seinfeld” did,
and end with utter catastrophic failures of one of the characters’ schemes and
plans.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As
it’s evolved, “The League” has definitely reached the upper echelon of TV
comedy, with its network-mates, “Louie” and “It’s Always Sunny In
Philadelphia,” as well as “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Bored To Death” and “Parks
& Recreation,” other shows with the same sensibility and pedigree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185927880966332211.post-83527389920423064552012-12-23T14:16:00.000-05:002012-12-23T14:16:23.566-05:00Serious About SatelliteAnother benefit of time off, as far as what I've gotten to take in and enjoy in comedy programming has been SiriusXM's OnDemand service, started a few months ago. There's a wealth of great material on there to be had -- some of it only running for a fixed time, and some of it apparently evergreen. Among the highlights so far: an hour of Opie & Anthony (filed under "The Worst of O&A", in the Entertainment section) with Louis C.K., Ricky Gervais, Jay Mohr and co-host Jim Norton together shooting bull about comedy on the heels of Louis and Gervais appearing in HBO's "Talking Funny" special last year. Their personalities were so dominant that you didn't even hear much of Opie & Anthony themselves getting any word in -- and actually, Mohr was only heard occasionally in the hour as well.<br />
<br />
Norton turns up again in another fun O&A tidbit -- an appearance by Donald Sutherland on the show, where Norton, to his credit very knowledgeable of Sutherland's film history, geeks out in the actor's presence. Louis C.K. and Gervais are almost omnipresent in SiriusXM OnDemand programs, including the "Getting Late" show, which consists of interviews that run about 15 minutes. While not comprehensive, these pieces are still entertaining and interesting. Paul F. Tompkins and Bill Burr also appear in episodes worth catching.<br />
<br />
The point of all this geeking out over SiriusXM content is to emphasize that for comedy fans, satellite radio with this new added feature that lets listeners find exactly what they may be interested in, is well worth the subscription. Currently, the OnDemand service is only on the mobile smartphone app, but it should hopefully be added to the web streaming version soon.<br />
mshashouahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08443364285513536498noreply@blogger.com0