Posts tagged COMEDY
Quick Take: Glee ‘Born This Way’
Apr 27th
Just a quick Glee review this week as I had to do double duty with The Voice also launching on the same night!
But what an episode it was… sure Glee still has a heavy handedness in the writing, acting and directing departments that means its points are made with sledgehammer subtlety. But though I’ve been a frequent critic of the show in the past I also have to commend it for tackling important issues like bullying, self-acceptance and sexuality in a way few teen shows do. For all its faults I think it’s a great thing that Glee exists and last night’s show was a prime example.
This week’s episode revolved around the theme of self love with Santana and Dave struggling with their sexuality, Rachel considering a nose job, Emma facing up to her OCD and Quinn’s secret past as an ugly tween revealed. The writing was zippy, especially for Santana, who’s really come into her own these last couple of weeks. And the extra 30 minutes of screen time actually didn’t drag (though let’s be honest, Fox packed in what felt like double the number of commercials to make up the 90 minute show!)
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Hall Of Fame: Roseanne
Feb 24th
As you may have noticed Roseanne Barr has been back in the headlines recently with her Oprah appearance and the announcement of her upcoming new Lifetime reality show (which sounds dreadful). So we figured now was as good a time as any to induct Roseanne, Barr’s groundbreaking late 80’s sitcom, into our Remote Patrolled Hall of Fame.
Like many 80’s shows I watched Roseanne as an import in the UK, where it aired on Friday nights on Channel Four (the network had a great comedy block going on for a while there). I was 15 when the show first launched, definitely the right age for Roseanne’s trademark bad attitude and one-liners. Though Roseanne didn’t feel so groundbreaking in England – where low-income families were often featured in comedies and soaps – I can understand why the show stood out in a US TV landscape populated by the likes of Small Wonder and ALF. Roseanne was definitely worlds apart from these plastic middle class families and their cheesy and cheery stage school kids.
Saturday Night Live: The Return Of The Church Lady
Feb 6th
One more returning sketch on SNL – and this time it was the Church Lady, Dana Carvey‘s famously disapproving old shrew…
Unlike Wayne’s World this sketch has held up a lot better for me – I guess religious intolerance is as relevant today as ever!
Freshening up the skit were appearances from the ‘Kardashian sisters’, ‘Snooki’ and the real Justin Bieber, who provokes quite a reaction in the Church Lady.
It doesn’t all work – the sketch is far too long, as always – and the Snooki segment is kind of weak. But Bieber is game for a laugh and I just love the SNL take on the talentless Kardashians, especially Kim.
Here’s the Church Lady in action. Isn’t that special…!
Saturday Night Live: The Return Of Wayne’s World
Feb 6th
Last night saw the return of Dana Carvey to Saturday Night Live. Dana was of course a former cast member from 1986 – 1993 and created some iconic characters during his years on the show, but since leaving his career has kind of tapered off…
I’m still not sure why Dana came back, but hey, it gave the SNL team the chance to dust off a few old characters – most notably Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World. Yep, Dana was joined by comedy partner Mike Myers for the show’s cold open – and this was the result.
To be honest I’ve never been a fan of Wayne’s World – either the sketches or the movies – and last night’s skit didn’t convert me either. Aside from an okay Winter’s Bone gag and a nice wordplay on actress Mila Kunis it was all a bit weak and desperate for me…
But what do you think? Glad to see the guys back? Or was this one routine that should have stayed in the comedy archives?
Coming Soon: Mr Sunshine
Feb 2nd
When Does It Start: Wednesday 9th February at 9.30pm EST on ABC
In A Nutshell: Chandler Bing is back… yes it’s the return of Matthew Perry. Can he recapture that Friends ratings mojo?
What’s It About: Ben Donovan (Matthew Perry) is the manager of a second tier sports arena in San Diego, called the Sunshine Center. Upon turning 40, Ben finds himself going through a mid life crisis while juggling a complicated love life and dealing with the demands of his unpredictable boss, Crystal Cohen (Alison Janney). Expect plenty of Perry’s deadpan delivery as craziness erupts around him…
COOL CLIP: A STAR WARS STATE OF MIND
Jan 3rd
Wow – College Humor are really starting to spend some money on their parody clips these days…
Check out the gang’s version of Star Wars – re-imagined to the tune of the Jay Z / Alicia Keys hit ‘Empire State Of Mind’ and featuring a rapping Darth Vader and vocals from Princess Leia.
I’m personally not a huge Star Wars fan and think the clip is about a year too late – but it certainly boasts good production values. I doubt that all those Star Wars clips have been cleared though – so I wonder what Mr Lucas will have to say about that…
Here’s the clip below… enjoy!
COOL CLIP: A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY…
Dec 23rd
For those of you missing both The Walking Dead AND Mad Men – check out this just released video spoof from the guys at Team Unicorn…
It’s a simple premise – a holiday guide for defending your home from zombies, shot in the style of a 1950′s PSA (I shot one myself a few years back for a hellish pilot I worked on!)
To be honest I think the clip goes on too long and could do with a faster pace – but it looks great and there’s some nice moments along the way. Plus it’s good to feature a video that doesn’t always come from the Funny Or Die / College Humor teams who have started confusing celebrity guest spots with actual comedy…
2011 looks to be another big year for zombies with a super-sized season 2 of The Walking Dead at Halloween and the movie version of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies – reportedly starring either Natalie Portman or Anne Hathaway as Elizabeth Bennett… so it looks like zombies really are the new vampires…
Here’s the Zombie Holiday clip… enjoy!
THE TRON CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Dec 20th
Since the TV year is coming to a close it’s slim pickings on the clips front! But this video from the Funny Or Die guys made me smile – in concept at least…
With Tron: Legacy in movie theaters (and under-performing if the first weekend grosses are any indication), FOD presents the Tron Christmas Special – obviously inspired by the infamously awful Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978.
It’s a fun idea and starts off well – but for me the clip could have been a LOT cleverer and funnier. There’s certainly no shortage of material to work with. Still I did smile at the hokey 80′s graphics and the ‘appearance’ of OJ Simpson…
But what do you think? Funny – or a missed opportunity? And have you been to see the Tron update yet? Start commenting everyone…
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: A HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM THE KARDASHIANS
Dec 19th
Slim pickings as usual on last night Jeff Bridge’s hosted Saturday Night Live – but this sketch certainly made me laugh a couple of times…
Regular Remote Patrolled readers will know how much I loathe the Kardashians and consider them pretty much everything that’s wrong with non-scripted TV today – so it was great to see SNL skewering them once again in this holiday themed message…
Check out the Kardashian sisters as played by Abby Elliott, Nasim Pedrad, and Vanessa Bayer (creator of this season’s breakout Miley Cyrus spoof), complete with squeaky voices and general vacuousness. Sure the sisters are an easy target – and not all the jokes work – but I certainly smiled a few times, especially at Pedrad’s Kim – her voice is really funny and I love the trailing off ad libs…
Check it out!
JON STEWART ‘INTERVIEWS’ RICKY GERVAIS!
Dec 15th
What happens when you put together two of the sharpest comedic minds in the world, Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais?
You end up with an interview like this…
Ricky is meant to be promoting his new HBO stand up special ‘Out Of England 2‘. Jon is meant to be hosting and conducting an interview. But when the two get together – well let’s just say there’s not much actual interviewing going on really – just a lot of random observations, giggling and inspired silliness…
Oh if only all talk show were like this. Just try watching with a straight face…
