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October 23, 2007
The Gag Reel
By: Mo Diggs
The week's most pressing film and television news.
REALITY STRIKES BACK: Between Southern California burning to the ground, the doomsday clock counting down on the impending Writer's Guild strike, and CNN running that scary Planet in Peril show, it seems like the world as we know it is ending soon.
ABC greenlights a buddy comedy pilot that's "got the Judd Apatow tone" called The More Things Change. It is co-produced by Old School scribe, Todd Phillips.
PRESIDENTIAL HOPELESS: Stephen Colbert has less than 1 percent of the Republican vote. They are spoiled, of course, by President Bush's unintentionally funny, Kaufmanesque performance art. Vetoing children's health care bills is the new wrestling with women. In related news, Comedy Central has already voted for a Stewart '10 ticket. (via Dead Frog) So much for those rumors about Jon leaving at the end of '08.
AM I RIGHT, LADIES?: According to the LA Times, women are getting fewer and fewer comedy roles.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK (NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT): NY Times implies that Seinfeld's Bee Movie is his bid for making a comeback after nine years away from the mainstream eye (not including comedy clubs). Here's hoping he believes in this film he helped write:
From Rolling Stone, May, 1998:
SEINFELD: I don't like the size of movies. They're perfect for an evening, but they're too big to think of and write and make, and they're just so ponderous. So invasive. And they're so self-important. You know, just the idea of making a movie makes it seem like you think you're so great. You think your ideas are so terrific that people should go to a special place and sit there and just focus on that. And all the money that's spent. I don't know. I'm not a maximizer, I'm a minimizer. That's why I like the idea of a commercial - it's so humiliating. Not only do you only have thirty seconds, you have to sell something, too, in addition to entertaining. It completely hems you in.RS: Through history many people have noticed those drawbacks and denigrated the art.
SEINFELD: Of commercials? Yeah. But to me, I like that challenge. Anyone can make a movie. They give you zillions of dollars. But it's ponderous, as Casey Kasem once said. Ponderous, man.
RS: And there's very few good, funny movies.
SEINFELD: Very few. It's very hard to make a funny comedy. I don't know if comedy wants to be a movie.
Get it? If it wants to "bee" a movie?
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S "ENTERTAINERS OF THE YEAR" WHO WERE COMEDIANS:
2004 Jon Stewart
1997: Ellen Degeneres
1996: Rosie O'Donnell
1995: Cast of Friends
1992: SNL
1990: Bart Simpson
WET HOT AMERICAN REDBULL: David Wain to direct Paul Rudd in a movie about paternalistic energy drink salesmen.
OTHER NEWS:
- Peacock spreads wings, leaves YouTube
- Meet your Jim, your Pam or your Dwight in Scranton next week
- Kimmel's family funny, if Sarah joins, hilarious
- Patton Oswalt makes France love Disney
DVD PICK: Fred Armisen Presents Jens Hannemann Complicated Drumming Technique
"This thing is a joke, right? There's no telling these days." Indeed. --YouTube Commenter
Posted by The Apiary at October 23, 2007 2:50 PM
Comments
Great finds, Mo! I especially enjoyed the article on women in comedic films. I guess I'll trash this screenplay I'm working on, where I play a sassy toll booth operator to Ashton Kutcher's Hollywood hot shot. I would also play the hoochie entourage, you know, like a revolutionary Nutty Professor-multiple-character thing, but every character I play is a negative stereotype of women.
Posted by: Curly Comedy at October 25, 2007 11:32 AM
Great. All we need is Chris Tucker and a fat suit.
Posted by: Mo Diggs at October 26, 2007 2:19 PM