Splitsider

Book clubs are a complicated lot. On the plus side, you get a necessary peer-pressure push to read. On the negative, you have to go places and your "friends" probably don't want to read all your comedy nerd books. I'm like you and so I decided to start The Splitsider Comedy Book Club (not to be confused with the Splitsider Book Club Comedy Club, in which we teach you to book comedy clubs). The goal is present you, our readers, a space to virtually gather and discuss a book, knowing that others will also gather and discuss said book. We'll pick a book and then a month or so [...]

Do you prefer to get your comedy news and features in email format rather than swinging by this here website every day? Well, now we've made it easier for you, as you can see a nice new email signup form in the righthand sidebar. Put your email address in there, hit "Submit," and you'll be signed up for our new once-weekly newsletter. It'll include the biggest feature or two of the week as well as the biggest news stories, keeping you delightfully up to date about the goings-on around here. And if you don't like it, you can always just unsubscribe. This isn't a huge commitment we're talking about [...]

Here's a fun thought experiment: of all the episodes of all the sitcoms that have aired over the years, what is the single best one? Obviously there is no objective "best" episode out there that everyone can agree on, but still, certain candidates come to mind immediately: Marge vs. the Monorail! The Contest! Lucy Does a TV Commercial!

Because there are few things more fun for comedy nerds than revisiting some of the best TV comedy ever produced and then talking about it, we're prepping a tournament pitting 32 of the greatest sitcom episodes ever against each other, March Madness style. We'll be creating a bracket and then opening [...]

Just a friendly reminder that our birthday party/show is happening tomorrow in Brooklyn. Eugene Mirman, Joe Mande, BriTANick and Halle Kiefer will all be performing, there's a dance party after the show, and it's all for charity, so don't fuck this one up by missing it.

Pot and comedy: two things that go together like peanut butter and jelly, or pot and peanut butter and jelly. As marijuana has become less and less vilified in American culture over the past few decades, it's become much more acceptable for it to be portrayed as a harmless and fun drug in movies and on TV. There are movies dedicated to lovable stoners acting in a hilarious fashion under the effects of the drug, and entire blocks of programing on TV (*cough*Adult Swim*cough*) that seemingly cater to those under the influence. Many comedians are open about their love for the drug, while others find humor in their less-than-awesome [...]

“What if the viewer could become her/his own programming director; what if s/he could define the very entertainment-happiness it was her/his right to pursue.” – David Foster Wallace

First of all, don’t get pissed: This is the last Nick of Time piece. Even worse, it’s not a real Nick of Time piece. Sorry.

Now, yes, I still have a few more shows left to investigate, analyze, and deconstruct, but, well, this modest little hat trick actually worked. That’s right: The history of Nickelodeon’s “golden age” I’ve been developing alongside my Nick of Time series will be published by Plume, an imprint of Penguin, next year.

Running a site like Splitsider is a weird thing. It basically consumes my life, and I'm always working on it and trying to make it better, but I'm also so close to it that I sometimes worry that I have no perspective on the thing. It's been a year and a half or so since launch, and I'm very proud of what the site has become. But it could be better, right? Everything could always be better.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to ask you, Splitsider's readers, what you'd like to see more or less of on the site. Are there things we don't cover that you'd [...]

When the pilgrims came down from the mount with their rules for Thanksgiving inscribed on two stone tablets, one of those rules was "thou shalt not work on Thanksgiving, or the day after, and you might as well take a half day that Wednesday, too." And it was good. So that's what we're doing. Enjoy/tolerate hanging out with your family and dealing with the worst travel weekend of the year! We'll be back in action bright and early Monday morning, smelling slightly of gravy and our grandmother's very strong perfume.

Hey, you. Are you in NYC, or are you going to be this coming Saturday? Come laugh and hang out with us! Splitsider's first birthday is quickly approaching, and to celebrate we're putting on a show and throwing a party with our friends from Gentrify Brooklyn. Performing will be Eugene Mirman, Joe Mande, BriTANick and Halle Kiefer. The show will take place at the Brooklyn Lyceum (227 4th Avenue) at 10pm for $5 with a huge ragin' dance party to follow. Even better? The entire thing is a benefit for 826NYC, so you'll be laughing/dancing/hanging out for a good cause. You can't [...]

If you're looking to distract yourself from the Super Bowl while watching the Super Bowl this weekend, swing on by Splitsider, where our friends at WitStream will be hosting a live-updating stream of the funniest Tweets made by funny people before, during and after the "big game." I can personally guarantee that it will be funnier than every single Bud Light commercial aired during the game. I can't say the same for that E-Trade baby. He's hilarious!

The Awl Network welcomes its newest site to the stable today: The Billfold, a new blog about money, or, as they say it, "Everything About Money You Were Too Polite to Ask." If you're a person who has, makes, spends, or saves money, there's probably something there to interest you! Like this article here on paying off your debt via either the Snowball or Avalanche methods. Both of those sound better than owing people shitloads of money, right? So go check it out already.

Hello! This week Hallie and I are taking the opportunity to close our laptops and avoid all comedy, laughter, merriment, and joy completely, as that is the only way we know how to take a vacation. But the site will still have lots of fun stuff for you to read despite our absence, as it is our Year in Review week! Many of our wonderful contributors have looked back at the year that was (and forward to the year to come), so you've got a whole slew of excellent features to look forward to. We'll be back to our regular schedule of news posts next week, in the new year. [...]

The Awl family welcomes its newest site today: The Wirecutter. A rundown of the best gadgets from every category, it exists to make choosing tech-related things to buy as easy as humanly possible. Run by former Gizmodo head honcho (and my former boss!) Brian Lam, it will clue you in to the best TVs, phones, computers, tablets, cables and so on and so forth without inundating you with every press release every tech company puts out. It keeps things nice and simple!

So go on and check it out, especially if you're in the market for a new toy. It might just help you make a better purchasing [...]

So, today is Memorial Day, so we won't be publishing. Instead, Halle and I will be drinking out of doors, just as America/God intended. But we'll be back tomorrow in full force, albeit probably a little sad that the long weekend is over. But don't worry! We're true professionals, so you won't see any of that post-long-weekend malaise seeping into our posts. In any case, enjoy the holiday, and we'll see you tomorrow.