Standup Andrew Santino has just been voted the winner of The New York Times 2nd Annual Comedy Challenge, in which six up-and-comers all perform their best jokes and viewers to select a winner. Santino narrowly beat out Last Comic Standing's Carmen Lynch. It's good news for Andrew Santino, even though there's no official prize – cash or otherwise – because The New York Times hates supporting struggling artists.
"I could successfully argue that the 'Really?' epidemic on scripted shows is lazy writing; why do the hard work of spinning meaningful dialogue when you can grab a cheap laugh with a single word? But I’m more concerned about the role these TV 'Reallys?' are playing in the continuing collapse of society."
- New York Times writer Neil Genzlinger singles out SNL, The Daily Show, and The League, amongst other shows, in his piece about the overuse of the phrase "Really?" in scripted television. Good thing Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler are too busy to make a "Really!?! with Seth and Amy" spin-off because it would cause this columnist's [...]
A spoiler-free review of The Dark Knight Rises, how old is Alfred, a lesser IMAX, the problem with Baskin Robbins inside of Dunkin' Donuts, peeing during a movie, novelty home signs, a preview of The Complete Guide to Everything: After Dark with Algernon, Tim orders a breakfast wrap and learns that he's an old man, and a long, in-depth dissection of the New York Times' latest style piece about Williamsburg.
Read along with Tim and Tom here.
The writer of the New York Times article has responded to jackass critics like us! Read about how people like us don't understand irony here.
For the New York Times, Jason Zinoman writes about the post-Bossypants world of comedian memoirs, which I assume is in honor of the recently launched Splitsider Comedy Book Club. Mentioned are the new-ish books by Mindy Kaling, Rachel Dratch, Lizz Winstead, and Michael Ian Black. Zinoman argues they very in their balance of humor and candidness, but generally everyone loves Amy Poehler. Yeah, Amy Poehler-love is a must for every book.
Well, the Oscars are this Sunday and it's starting to look like Bridesmaids really isn't going to get that surprise last-minute Best Picture nomination we were all counting on. So the New York Times has put together a thorough examination of why the Academy continually snubs comedies when it comes to the night's highest honor. In addition to great clips from some of the funniest movies of the past century, the debate includes sentences like this one: "Comedy by its very nature is a mirror into the unruly, anarchic soul lurking behind the monocle." The New York Times on poop jokes, ladies and gentlemen.
