9 posts tagged “comedy”

The trailer for the action-comedy Date Night is online.

When I read the IMDB synopsis ("In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous"), I thought this movie sounded cute. It actually reminded me of Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play a middle-aged married couple who discover a murderer in their apartment complex (with hilarious results!).

However, by the looks of the Date Night preview, it looks a little more Get Smart, a little less New York neurotic. I find this troubling since I like the two leads so much. I just don't know if I want to see them in a pseudo, geeked-down Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I first sense trouble in this preview when Mark Wahlberg appears, using gadgets and computers like something out of a sci-fi movie. I sense trouble again when James Franco and Mila Kunis show up. Because Carell and Fey are so quirky, we want to see them in something quirky. I just don't think this looks like something that will make them comedically shine.

I'll be sticking to the marital hijinks of Carol and Larry Lipton, thank you very much.

It's no secret that the sitcom is dead. People have been talking about this for years. However, when probed about why I like the NBC show "Community," I say that "I like the characters even though nothing really happens."

Then, I got to thinking about all of the other shows I watch on television. This year, more than ever, I am more excited about the shows on the air right now, including "Modern Family," "Community," "30 Rock," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and "Mad Men." Yet, these shows are character driven. Aside from "Mad Men" ("Who are you Don Draper?"), there's no major conflict looming over the heads of the characters on the other shows, meaning there's no "situation" in these comedies. People tune in each week because they like the characters. I think nowadays people tune in for the characters and not the situation. If you can write a great character, you have it made.

The cancellation of "Arrested Development" marked the ultimate death of the sitcom, in my opinion. Even though it was pretty fresh and subversive in its execution, at the heart of the story was a sitcom premise: a man has to help his crazy family get back on their feet (emotionally and financially). Yet, I think its character development has inspired some of these shows on the air today.  

I think most shows on the air today have great characters. "Modern Family' is a perfect example. Every character on the show is believably flawed and entertaining to watch. The scenarios feel real.

With "Community," I think it isn't the leads that carry the show. It's the side characters. Senor Chang is probably the funniest character on the show. Professor Ian Duncan and Professor Whitman ("I'll have. . .a birthday cake!") are also standouts. Without all of these wacky characters, the show about Community College life has the potential to wane because, again, nothing really happens. (I have a theory that "Community" is really like "Lost," where the characters are all stuck in some sort of purgatory known as Community College. We never see their home life! It almost appears as if they all live on campus -- which I actually like).

Like any trend, the sitcom could make a comeback sometime in the future (although who would have thought the reality show craze would still be around). But for now, it's good to know that people like Sweet Dee, Dennis, Mac, Charlie, and Frank will continue to be misanthropes, blindly repelling people in every episode with no end or goal in sight. I'll continue to tune in.    

I was watching Jay Leno's revamped "The Jay Leno Show" the other night and came across the funniest skit I've seen in a while. It starred Australian comedic duo Hamish and Andy, and it involved "ghosting" -- where you follow closely behind someone walking in front of you. They've made it into a pretty hilarious competition.

This video takes a while to get into the competition, but it's well worth it. It also explains the rules and techniques of "ghosting."

I guess I related to this skit because sometimes when you're walking down a sidewalk and someone is walking in front of you (SLOWLY), you tend to "ghost" them accidentally. And it's completely awkward. This makes a game out of a social mishap people are always trying to avoid.

Hamish and Andy's "ghosting" also reminds me of something Andy Sandberg would do on "Saturday Night Live." It would probably involve a digital short or something. The only difference is that this is actually funny.

I really enjoyed Stephen Colbert's MeTunes of the Summer. Based on the crap out there that Colbert mentioned, my song of the summer is an unconventional one, too. "Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan -- I just rediscovered them in the last couple of weeks.

Last night, I caught part of the season finale of "Saturday Night Live" with guest host Will Ferrell. Tom Hanks made an appearance in the "Jeopardy" sketch and stole the show from the other SNL players.

Tom Hanks' appearance in this sketch marks the first time I've laughed out loud at SNL in over a year -- especially when he voiced into his pen-microphone "sibilance," which made reference to his appearance on SNL almost 20 years ago in a famous Wayne's World sketch. You can actually hear someone in the audience recognize the word and yell, "Sibilance!"  

"The Soup"'s Joel McHale is the kind of television personality I would just love to see in a deserving sitcom. I've always thought that if Will Arnett hadn't been available for the role of Gob Bluth on "Arrested Development" that McHale would have been a hilarious equivalent.

With guest stints on "Pushing Daisies" and "Will & Grace," Joel McHale has never had a chance to showcase his talents as the headliner. It looks like NBC wants to give him that chance with the new show "Community."

So weeks ago, after I wrote a post in which I was perplexed by "How I Met Your Mother's" mystique and pondered what has kept it on the air for nearly four seasons, many of my friends and readers responded, telling me that it's a great show. While I've watched it before, I decided to give it a second chance.

How I Met Your Mother

I stand corrected! The episode I watched Monday March 2 was really entertaining, with a premise so ridiculous that it actually worked (especially thanks to HIMYM anchor Neil Patrick Harris). Harris' Barney told his mother on her death bed years ago that he fulfilled her final wish and met someone to spend the rest of his life with. However, it turned out that Barney's mother would survive her illness, and Barney would have to keep up the lie (including an ad lib from his wife/actress in which she told his mother she was pregnant!). So Barney had to hire a wife and child to play his family. I found this story HILARIOUS and just the kind of situation comedy television needs these days.

Here's a link to the episode (since CBS doesn't embed!):

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/video/video.php?cid=446409135&pid=0EMZ5nmCCKK_x6Km55pa_z9qQhqEUG_7&play=true&cc=

So while I still stand by my confusion as to why Arrested Development was cancelled before this show, I do have a new respect for HIMYM and understand a little more why fans have stuck by it. However, I'm a little scared that they're going to make Laura Prepon the mother (please producers don't!).  

I was pleasantly surprised to go to Entertainment Weekly's web site today and see a post about Saturday Night Live's decline in quality, with writer Ken Tucker directly addressing the issue of Kristen Wiig (finally!).

The post states: "Speaking of Wiig, her Kathie Lee Gifford and Bjork were excellent, but I doubt I'm the only person who thinks she's on-screen way too much these days--at best, she's carrying too much of the load."

Finally! All this time, I thought I was crazy. I've stated in previous blog posts my confusion about Kristen Wiig and why she shows up everywhere in movies and television, playing the same dry-talking, weirdo female character. Against everything conventional, Wiig is like the most popular girl in school who makes goofy faces and fart noises in class all the time, and students think it's hilarious and cute. It just doesn't happen. Yet, Wiig appears in EVERY SNL SKIT.

Message boarders chimed in at the bottom of the EW article, with one saying she's "one-note" like Adam Sandler.  I feel like I've finally been vindicated.

However, I will say that Wiig does a good job of impersonating celebrities, especially Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She nails it -- dead on. But really -- it isn't hard to make a View skit funny when the material is pretty much directly lifted from the ABC daytime talk show itself. It's similar to Tina Fey making "Sarah Palin" funny when Fey looks exactly like the V.P. candidate and took dialogue directly from Palin interviews (which then became "jokes").

Either way, SNL needs a reboot. While I love Seth Meyers' Weekend Updates, I don't know how he leads the writing team with some of the skits that garner crickets from audiences. I long for the days when Will Ferrell would show up and somehow make the worst written skit funny (although I'm sure many will debate me on this one!). I wonder if Lorne Michaels and crew think Wiig is the new go-to girl for that.

Here's Wiig in The View skit that actually made me laugh:

Kristen Wiig is everywhere, and I can't take it anymore.

No offense to the woman. She might be a nice person. But I can't take another SNL skit or low-budget, throwaway farce with her face in it. I can't watch a trailer for an Apatow comedy or anything that might even have a few chuckles in it without seeing her face or hearing her voice drop in that low ironic way in which she only knows how to speak.

Just when you thought it was safe to watch a trailer for the new Superbad-esque comedy Adventureland, Wiig shows up in the trailer, pushing me over the edge. That's it. Something needs to be done. I would like to build a case against Kristen Wiig and argue how unfunny she is.

After her "retirement" from Sarah Palin, Tina Fey said that she thought Wiig would be a good contender for future SNL impersonations of the Alaskan V.P. candidate. Really? You be the judge of whether I'm right or wrong. The future of Saturday Night comedy depends on it.

First, I would like to submit exhibit A into evidence of Kristen Wiig NOT BEING FUNNY: