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This Week in Comedy: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Maybe Jason Sudeikis Leaving 'SNL'

by | May 17th, 2013

-Bill Hader is leaving SNL after eight years, and we made a videolist of his best sketches. Fred Armisen is leaving, too (and Jason Sudeikis "probably") so we made a list for Armisen as well.

-Seth Meyers is officially taking over Late Night in 2014.

-USA ordered Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham's pilot to series.

-In honor of The Office ending, we remembered our favorite moments from the show.

-Netflix unveiled the first trailer for the new Arrested Development and a Tobias-themed website.

-Adam Scott's next Greatest Event in Television History will be Hart to Hart with Amy Poehler.

-ABC canceled Happy Endings, and USA is in negotiations to pick it up. READ MORE

Talking to Colin Quinn About His New One-Man Show, 'Tough Crowd', and Being the King of Twitter

by | May 17th, 2013

There have been many chapters in Colin Quinn's career since he first appeared on MTV's Remote Control in 1987. The former SNL castmember went on to host the short-lived but brilliant Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central; more recently, his unique Twitter persona caught the eye of the New York Times. Following on the success of his Broadway one-man show Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, his "history of the world in 75 minutes," Colin Quinn's new show, Unconstitutional, aims to tackle "226 years of American Constitutional calamities." I caught up with after a preview performance of his show to talk about constitutional conventions, comedy nerds, and how sincerity infuriates people.

What was it about the Constitution that made you want to do a show?

Well, it's because it annoys me [that] all this time, everyone's always talking about how brilliant the Constitution was, and I didn't get what was brilliant about it. How can I be so stupid that I don't get the Constitution? So I said I'm going to write a show about it. I wanted to do another show anyway, but I wasn't going to make it, like, "Oh I did world history, now I'm doing American history." Of course, that's what I did, but I wasn't planning that. I was planning to not do that, so people wouldn't go, “Look at this idiot, what a loser. Now he's gonna do a American history.” But that's what I am, and that's what I did.

I think that’s fair. It’s like a high school curriculum — you do world history for a year and American history for a year.

There you go. What's next?

Well I went to an all-girls school, so we did, like, world literature, American literature, and women's literature.

Ah. That would be good, right? That would be wild. Because, among the subjects that I've never had a grip on — no guy understands women. Or some guys do, but very few. So that really would be good. A whole show on women. But then, can you imagine if it really became popular and suddenly all the horrible bachelorette parties came to the show? I'd kill myself. The worst standup people, crowd-wise, are usually bachelorette parties, strippers and the men who love them, when they come to shows, and bachelor parties. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are the worst. Either one, because you can't have that many people at a club together. They know each other, they want to talk to each other and get drunk. It's unnatural. They shouldn’t be in comedy clubs. Look, here we are talking about standup, instead of the Constitution. READ MORE

'The Office' Series Finale Review: Goodbye, Dunder Mifflin

by | May 17th, 2013

After 201 episodes of Dunder Mifflin adventures, The Office — which set the trend for dry, music-free, single-camera American mockumentary sitcoms for years to come and spawned a countless trail of recaps, spoilers, reviews, thinkpieces, and GIFs — waved its final goodbye last night. While the past two episodes "Livin' the Dream" and "A.A.R.M." felt more like caps to this season's storylines, "Finale" served as a celebration of the show that went from the struggling underdog it was back in 2005 to the powerhouse NBC Thursday night leader of nearly a decade. The episode — which included some weirdly awesome cameos by Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Eric Wareheim, Greg Daniels, Allison Silverman, and more — picks up a year after last week's events: Stanley has become Florida Stanley permanently, Ryan and Kelly run off together (leaving a baby and fiancé behind), Mose and his scarecrow share glances, Erin reunites with her Joan Cusack/Ed Begley Jr. parents, Dwight and Angela get married, Jim and Pam sell their house to live the happy Austin dream together, and after much speculation and denial, Michael Scott returns for his final glorious That's What She Said. READ MORE

'Nirvana, the Band': A Web Show Written in the Edit Room

by | May 17th, 2013

Two young men are planning their band’s first show. After their first song, they’ll shout to the audience: “We haven’t even started yet! That stuff is bullshit! You guys are idiots for even liking that! I can’t believe you guys clapped for that, you’re idiots! Here’s the real song! Faggots!”

“Nirvana the Band” follows a band called Nirvana the Band (no relation), made of piano genius Jay McCarrol and musically untalented Matt Johnson. The band has never played a show, they’ve never really rehearsed, and when they get turned down by the first venue they call, they spend the rest of the ten-episode show trying to trick the place into letting them play. In between they fight, try to pick up girls, and commit arson. The wackiness of the plot is tempered by naturalistic performances and a unique production style that helps even the silliest parts feel real.

It’s not a very accessible web show. It’s not on YouTube. Episodes can run almost twenty minutes. The lighting’s bad. And the first episode starts with the joke above. Of course the joke is at the expense of the speaker, Matt. Jay gives him a blank, shocked look. And the look is the real punchline — because it’s unacted. It’s cut from some other moment. So are all the reaction shots, and it makes a surprising difference. READ MORE

This Week in Podcasts: Nerdist Writers Panel with the 'New Girl' Staff and 'Comedy Bang Bang's Third 'Parks and Rec' Spectacular

by | May 16th, 2013

The comedy podcast universe is ever expanding, not unlike the universe universe. We're here to make it a bit smaller, a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows and each has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional, the noteworthy. Each week our crack team of podcast enthusiasts and specialists and especially enthusiastic people will pick their favorites. Also, we'll keep you posted on the offerings from our very own podcast network. We hope to have your ears permanently plugged with the best in aural comedy. 

Nerdist Writers Panel #86 - New Girl's Liz Meriwether, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel

JOSH: The Nerdist Writers Panel has become appointment listening for aspiring television writers, and this week's episode is no exception as host Ben Blacker welcomes the creative team behind the popular program New Girl. Meriwether, Baer and Finkel examine the challenges of producing such an ambitious network sitcom with a delightful brand of insightful self-deprecation that perfectly encapsulates the charming, offbeat voice the series has developed. Meriwether and company discuss their attempts to find the perfect balance between humor and emotional storytelling, their late season success in implementing a group writing strategy and of course, the evolution of everybody's favorite douchebag, Schmidt. Part of the insecure, "what the hell am I doing with my life" tone that makes New Girl such a genuinely relatable program are on full display as Meriwether candidly discusses dealing with the difficult production schedule. "For people like us who are perfectionists, there are moments where it's just not gonna be exactly what you wanted," Meriwether said. "Okay, it's not exactly what I had in my mind, but then there is this other thing that might work." Added Meriwether, "It ain't HBO. It's fucking TV." READ MORE

'The Mindy Project's First Season Was Like A Box of Chocolates

by | May 16th, 2013

The Mindy Project was one of the most exciting shows to watch this TV season, in an odd way. Each week, it seemed like you never knew what show you would get. Would it be the madcap meta-rom-com of the pilot, that leaned heavily on creator and star Mindy Kaling's persona? Would it be the more ensemble-driven, group outing episodes of the early season? Would it go for something heartfelt? Also, who would be in the cast?

Not that I know how producing a TV show works, but it was at least exciting to puzzle through The Mindy Project's weird revolving-door supporting cast this year. MADtv's Ike Barinholtz was introduced as a recurring character in the second episode, eventually joining the main cast. Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Rierson from Groundhog Day) was seemingly perfectly cast as Mindy's boss, but disappeared after 2 episodes, abruptly written out. Amanda Setton's receptionist character disappeared when the show retooled halfway through, Anna Camp played Mindy's best friend until she didn't anymore, and Xosha Roquemore joined the show with four episodes left in the season. Finally, veteran comic actress Beth Grant's character was fired in the second episode, randomly reappeared later in the year, and THEN got re-hired in a subsequent episode (owing to FOX airing the episodes out of order). READ MORE

Talking to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar about 'Freeloaders' and the Chevy Chase N-Word Thing

by | May 16th, 2013

Jay Chandrasekhar made a name for himself acting in and directing movies like Super Troopers and Beerfest with his comedy team Broken Lizard, whose most recent produced project Freeloaders came out last week. In addition to his movie work and standup, though, Chandrasekhar has guest directed episodes for a handful of critically acclaimed fan-favorite TV series including Arrested Development, Undeclared, Happy Endings, and Community, where he's directed some of the series' best episodes ("Mixology Certification") and one of the most talked-about moments (Chevy Case emitting the N-word on set).

In light of Freeloaders' DVD and online release, I talked to Jay Chandrasekhar about ensemble comedies, the difference between directing film and directing TV, and what really happened with the whole Chevy Chase thing.

Your movie Freeloaders was finished in 2011. What's been going on with it since then?

You know, movies tend to come out whenever the best release window is, so, for example, Super Troopers was finished over a year before it came out. It's just that the distributor decides the best date. There's movies that are anywhere from three to four months finished to years … To be clear, it's not a Broken Lizard movie. It's a film we produced, so we're in one scene; we're not the stars of this film. Adam Duritz came to me with the script, the director who also wrote it named Dan Rosen, and the money to make it, so he asked if we'd help make it and we said yes. Then they asked us to be in one scene and we said yes, so we're in one scene, too. READ MORE

Videolist: Fred Armisen's Best 'SNL' Sketches

by | May 16th, 2013

Fred Armisen's departure from Saturday Night Live was announced today, and though the news came somewhat expectedly after Bill Hader's announcement on Tuesday, it's still sad to see one of SNL's strangest and most absurdity-driven players move on from the show. In the spirit of Fred's departure after eleven seasons, we've collected some of his most memorable characters and sketches, from the rambling Update frequenter Nicholas Fehn to his impressions of Liberace, Penny Marshall, Prince, and more. READ MORE

'New Girl's Season Two Was Great, No Thanks to the Parents

by | May 15th, 2013

New Girl concluded their excellent second season by making one of the world's most awful songs briefly profound.

"Where do we come from? Where do we go?" mumbled Nick Miller in the closing moments of last night's season finale. He was paraphrasing "Cotton Eye Joe," which he justifiably denied enjoying earlier in the episode, betrayed by his involuntary fistpumping. The first question was something that was on the minds of all of the main characters all season long, influencing their decisions as they traversed through the murky, angsty wilderness that is living as a late 20s/early 30s year old with slapstick, pregnant pauses, and a lot of yelling, sometimes in name-calling, sometimes in Sam and Diane Cheersian lust, driven by taking, or going against, the advice given to them by their parents, while trying hard to not be like them at all. READ MORE

That's Not Funny, That's Sexist: The Controversial Legacy of Benny Hill

by | May 15th, 2013

The Benny Hill Show towered over even Monty Python in terms of worldwide appeal and popularity in its hey day, which is just astounding. However, history rewards the victors and while Monty Python looms large over sketch comedy even today, Benny Hill has been reduced to a curious footnote in comedy history. While both share an enthusiasm for absurdity, Monty Python’s sketches often featured a healthy dose of cerebral satire buried within the anarchic foolishness. Hill, however, strikes modern viewers as broad and cartoonish, avoiding subtly altogether.

Make no mistake; Benny Hill was a huge comedic presence for twenty years (1969-1989) during the run of his titular The Benny Hill Show. The show was produced by Thames Television and was distributed to a worldwide audience of 93 different countries. The show consisted of a variety of sketches in which Hill gropes a girl, and then gets slapped and then they run around to the tune of “Yakety Sax”, which if you are familiar with Benny Hill at all is a song that is already rolling around in your head. You’re Welcome! READ MORE

Talking to Armen Weitzman About MTV's 'Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous'

by | May 15th, 2013

It's been a busy year for Armen Weitzman. The comedy actor/writer joined the cast of the Yahoo! web series Burning Love for its third season, has been working on a movie script with writing partner Harris Wittels, and he's playing his first regular TV role as comedian Bo Burnham's sidekick on the MTV show Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous. I recently had the chance to talk to Weitzman about Zach Stone, his beginnings in comedy, and relating to the characters he plays. READ MORE

12 Funny People on Vine Worth Watching For More Than 6 Seconds

by | May 15th, 2013

It has been a little over one hundred days since the Vine app made its debut. While Twitter (the owner of Vine) made the transition from a curious and mocked social media application to a respected and recognized fertile ground for creativity after a couple of years of existence, Vine has already made comedic stars out of illustrators, art directors, musicians, and other walks of life that aren't normally directly associated with comedy. And of course, there are the Rob Delaneys of Vine: veteran comedians that found themselves to be uniquely suited to the new app, finding it almost too easy to tell a joke in six seconds or less, essentially mocking those that make an effort.

Here are twelve Viners that consistently bring the laughter, in alphabetical order, because height order would be hard to accurately research. These funny people and others are featured on our weekly Vine column, The Vine 5 Film Festival. READ MORE

The Vine 5 Film Festival: You Should Eat Something

by | May 14th, 2013

Vine is a toy from Twitter that challenges users to make the most profound work ever committed to video in exactly six seconds. Or at the very least, challenges comedians to bring a little more laughter into this world. Every Tuesday we showcase five of the funniest short shorts of the past week.

Your RSS feed might be difficult and not show the videos, but trust us – they are there.

Usually when I report on the ascending popularity of Vine it is good news, but sadly this is not one of those times. Vine has become so popular that it has entered the putrid, ridiculous, bullshit conversation about gender and inherit comedy chops. The name of the guilty will not be mentioned, but all you need to see is this funny and great Vine by Gillian Jacobs in immediate response, and this just as great tweet by @imkateward.

Moving on… READ MORE

Fighting – or at Least Responding to – War and Terrorism with Comedy

by | May 14th, 2013

Welcome to the latest installment of Tragedy Plus Time. Each segment will focus on a particular ‘life crisis’ — sometimes globally tragic, sometimes more of a personal affair — and we’ll explore how many of the comedians we know and love have dealt with it.

If you were following any social media during the Boston bombings last month, you would have observed the global dialogue quickly shift from mundane chatter to the somber details of the attack. Concerns for safety, information about what had transpired, and speculation on the culprits behind it dominated the national conversation. Remarks about any other topic were deemed callous and inappropriate. Especially jokes, on or off topic.

Comedians are in a precarious position during times like these. A good comic has to know when levity is appropriate, and what’s within the realm of good taste. Of course, nothing says they actually have to be funny. After the bombing, Patton Oswalt wrote a serious, powerful message on his Facebook wall that resonated strongly with people. But there will come a time when everyone will want to laugh again.

Laughter literally began in our species as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger. And after a tragic event like a terrorist attack, or the threat of an oncoming war, our lives haven’t returned to normal until we’re able laugh again. So we turn our attention away from the misery of the 24/7 news cycle and we look for a reason to smile. Enter the comedian – formerly powerless in the face of despair, now an invaluable resource on the road to recovery.

We’re going to look at how five artists handled themselves in the aftermath (or in a few cases, the currentmath) of a globally tragic event. While wars and terrorist attacks are obviously less personal than the topics we’ve tackled before, the reactions from each of the artists touched upon today are still very much in line with their specific comedic style. READ MORE

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