Laura Turner Garrison
Most Recently: The Ex-Pat Revolutionaries of Estonia
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The Ex-Pat Revolutionaries of Estonia
An American, Australian and an Estonian walk into a bar... READ MORE
An Idiot Abroad Recap: "Whale Watching"
At the mid-point of Season 2, I found myself actually agreeing with Karl for the first time. Each week, I am usually filled with the greenest envy of his opportunities and bemusement at his inability to appreciate them. Turns out “whale watching” was nearly a dealbreaker for both he and I. In fact, where we differed was Karl actually wanting to go whale watching in the first place. Anyone whose childhood involved being dragged onto a tourist boat somewhere off the coast of New England with the promise of possibly seeing a whale off in the distance, knows how dreadfully boring and seasickness-inducing this activity is. A whale’s majesty is best enjoyed on the television. If you are looking for that in this particular episode, much like Karl you will only find disappointment. READ MORE
An Idiot Abroad Recap: "Swimming with Dolphins"
In which our intrepid traveler never actually swims with marine mammals. I would normally invoke the “spoiler alert” were this plot twist not so brazenly announced by both the Science Channel’s episode guide and the preview. By the end of episode, Karl indeed foregoes the standard bucket list item of swimming with dolphins for the potentially more fatal option of swimming with a Great White Shark. In reality — this is reality television after all — he is lowered into a cage where sharks can swim around him but he remains stationed in one place. Which is fitting, since the entire premise of the series revolves around adventures happening to Karl, never the result of his own doing. He is usually vocally displeased by the whole ordeal. READ MORE
An Idiot Abroad Recap: "Trans-Siberian Express"
Whether Karl Pilkington is the so-called idiot Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant insist on reminding us he is, or he is a brilliant comedic performance artist is pretty irrelevant to the appeal of An Idiot Abroad at this point. Gervais and Merchant made their name and fortune on a hyper-realistic, painfully uncomfortable mockumentary sitcom, it’s only natural they have created a hyper-realistic, at times uncomfortable documentary show. Or is it scripted as well? Best not to trouble yourself over that question too much and just enjoy watching their former radio producer disdainfully grapple with his new role of globe trekker. READ MORE
2011: The Year of Women in Sitcoms, at Least According to the Liberal Media
Man Up! Last Man Standing. Two and a Half Men. In my day, it was Three Men and they didn’t even need a woman to raise a baby. These days, television is chock full of emasculated male heroes, trying to muddle through somehow in a woman’s world. What’s that Beyonce? Who run the world? Girls? I’m pretty sure that’s what the Equal Rights Amendment was all about, castrating the other sex. Or being like them enough so we can become them and overtake them? I don’t know. I didn’t take women’s studies; I had boyfriends. High five, Dr. Pepper Ten and Light Beer Commercials! Boobs. READ MORE
11 Comedy Tourist Destinations of 2011
It’s been almost a year since I first invited the readers of Splitsider to join me in asking “what is the deal with international comedy?” Thusly, we embarked, you the reader and I, on a cross-cultural odyssey into the literal world of humor. We found trends. We found traditions. We found ourselves, if you think about it (don’t). Because I wanted to do a 2011 retrospective but can hardly choose a favorite child, I opted to select a rather subjective cross-section of countries. Think of it as a world comedy mood board, rather than a countdown. READ MORE
Klovn Your Enthusiasm: The Many Layers of Discomfort in Danish Humor
There certainly is something rotten in the state of Denmark: the dark and twisted Danish sense of humor. So-called “Danish Humor” gained international attention at Cannes this year when provocateur/film director Lars von Trier declared that he was a Nazi to a room full of journalists. Whether or not this comment was taken out of context, Cannes organizers were not amused and declared him a persona no grata to the same festival that has honored him many times. Von Trier would later apologize for his comments, citing the untranslatable nature of Danish humor as the culprit for misinterpretation. He told Israeli publication Haaretz: READ MORE
Those Clowns Down in Peru
Americans may be familiar with Peru as home to the breathtaking Machu Picchu, or perhaps as a bordering nation to Lake Titicaca. But, the Republic of Peru is also home to 29.4 million people (UN, 2010), rich natural resources like copper, silver, lead, zinc, oil and gold (BBC 2011) and a small but fruitful world of comedy in its capital city of Lima. READ MORE
SNL Recap: Maya Rudolph and the Magic of Breaking
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