Splitsider

Posts tagged as radio

From the Archives

Looking Back at Bob Hope's Early Work

by | May 24th, 2013

The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 150,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)

In just a few short days, on May 29th, Bob Hope would have been celebrating his 110th birthday. Before you get too upset that [...]

Collaborators

Joel McHale Says Chevy Chase Wanted to Physically Fight Him and Claimed Richard Pryor Gave Him Permission to Use the N-Word

by | February 6th, 2013

Here's Joel McHale talking to Howard Stern about how difficult it is to work with Chevy Chase, making this the millionth piece of evidence that it's difficult to work with Chevy Chase.

Radio

Paul F. Tompkins, Jonah Ray, Kurt Braunohler, and More Talk How They Spent Election Night

by | November 7th, 2012

As if you're not already sick of hearing about the election, a bunch of great comedians called into Southern California radio station KCRW to share their election night plans. Here's a three-minute audio clip of comments from the comedians who called in: Jonah Ray, Cameron Esposito, Paul F. Tompkins, Jackie Kashian, Moshe Kasher, Kristina Wong, Tom Sibley, Will Weldon, Dana Gould, and Kurt Braunohler. I swear this is the last election post I'll write unless Louis C.K. or Dan Harmon punches Mitt Romney in the face or something.

Radio

More Than 'A Christmas Story': Remembering Jean Shepherd, Radio's Great Teller of Tales

by | October 4th, 2012

You probably know Jean Shepherd as the narrator and writer of A Christmas Story, the 1983 Yuletide comedy which is (over)played every holiday, and has become such a beloved classic that it’s easy to forget how cynical it is.  But as fans never get tired of explaining, there is a lot more to Jean Shepherd than that.

The reason so many people remain interested in Jean Shepherd, the reason the guy has inspired scarily-detailed websites and a full-length biography, is not because of one yuletide film. It’s his work on radio. He also wrote books, articles, and other films—but the best way to experience Shepherd was to hear [...]

Radio

Lewis Black and BBC Radio Are Pairing Up for a Satirical Quiz Show

by | March 13th, 2012

The kindly Brits over at the BBC have decided to make an American version of their longtime news quiz satire show The News Quiz, called The News Quiz USA With Lewis Black. The pilot episode, which will be taped one week from today in New York, will feature comedians Andy Borowitz, Kathleen Madigan and Ted Alexandro chattin' about the news. Keep your fingers crossed for the pilot to succeed so that the show can be sold to US radio markets! Unless you hate good things. Then you can do whatever you want with your goddamned fingers. I don't care.

Radio

Patton Oswalt Is Auctioning Off a Bunch of 'King of Queens' Artifacts for 'The Best Show on WFMU'

by | March 12th, 2013

Tonight is the final night of the 2013 fundraising drive for The Best Show on WFMU, Tom Scharpling's hilarious radio show/podcast, and comedian Patton Oswalt is generously donating a bunch of memorabilia from the nine seasons he spent on King of Queens. Oswalt wrote a really nice blog post explaining  his donation and what commercial-free, listener-supported WFMU means to him. Here's an excerpt:

"For some people, having shelves and walls displaying the evidence of their past successes, of their progress and achievements, helps them to make and do more stuff. And that’s fine. I’m the opposite, for some reason …

This chair, and the series finale script [...]

Podcasts

Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster Walk You Through Their Best 'Best Show' Bits

by | January 24th, 2013

The AV Club has a nice long interview with Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster today, as the duo walks us through their favorite bits from The Best Show on WFMU. It's an in-depth look into Scharpling and Wurster's calls, which have consistently been the source of some of the funniest comedy in the past 12 years. It's worth the read whether you voted for Philly Boy Roy or not.

History

The Rope-Throwin' Political Comedy of Will Rogers

by | October 26th, 2012

There has never been a comedian with as much political influence and esteem as Will Rogers. If Jon Stewart was one of the most popular movie stars in the country you’d be getting close, but only kinda — and you’d still need to add a bunch of rope tricks. Remember Stephen Colbert’s campaign? Will got there first, and he was drafted into his campaign. Plus he actually received a few votes at the convention. Twice.

Rogers was as full of contradictions as America itself. He was a Cowboy and an Indian. He had a country voice loaded with urban slang. He rose to stardom telling jokes with a chorus [...]

stand-up

This One Time These Old Shock Jocks were Mean to Maria Bamford…

by | July 18th, 2012

I don't know why that old guy was so mean to Maria or why he felt a  goatee with both a really long moustache and chin part was the best look or why they keep tin foil around the studio. The good news is those old guys probably aren't on the radio anymore because a) no one wants old people on the radio and b) no one really wants radio. "Keep on truckin', Maria," is what that old man should've said.

Lost Roles

The Lost Roles of Howard Stern

by | February 9th, 2012

You saw him this past weekend in a Super Bowl commercial, mocking the heroes of the civil rights movement by turning a firehose on a guy singing a bad version of a bad Maroon 5 song. Howard Stern is a beloved broadcaster, the self-proclaimed King of All Media, and yes, America's Got Talent's newest judge. We've all seen the directions his unpredictable and highly-successful career has gone, so let's turn our attention to the paths Stern almost took in the entertainment industry by examining all of the TV and movie projects he's turned down, wanted to be a part of but couldn't, and the stuff that never saw the light [...]

Podcasts

Jesse Thorn's 'Bullseye' Will Be Distributed Through NPR Starting in April

by | February 7th, 2013

MaximumFun.org chief Jesse Thorn's radio show/podcast Bullseye (previously called The Sound of Young America) will be airing on NPR beginning in April, Thorn announced today. The move comes after months of negotiations and planning between Thorn and NPR. Bullseye is an expertly-curated show that features Thorn interviewing guests from the entertainment world and recommending his favorite works of pop culture with an emphasis on comedy. Past guests have included Jeff Bridges, Judd Apatow, Dolly Parton, Michael Ian Black, Demetri Martin, Chris Gethard, Bob Newhart, and Key & Peele. Under the new deal, Thorn will continue to produce Bullseye independently; it will just be distributed by NPR. Congrats [...]

Impressions

Fred Armisen Will Co-Host Next Week's 'This American Life' as Ira Glass

by | January 11th, 2013

Quirky public radio program This American Life will have a very special guest this weekend: Fred Armisen as Ira Glass. The episode's theme is "doppelgängers," and Armisen will be co-hosting with the real Ira Glass for the entire hour. You can listen to it tomorrow afternoon on the radio via your local NPR affiliate or download it Sunday in podcast form. According to This American Life's website, Armisen developed his Ira Glass impression for Saturday Night Live but never used it on the show after deciding "the public radio personality isn't quite famous enough to be mocked on network TV." Why didn't he do it on Portlandia then, [...]

From the Archives

Listen as Johnny Carson Presents the Best in Comedy from NBC's First 50 Years

by | October 12th, 2012

The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 120,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)

(Please note that this article was written under the mistaken impression that this article was the fiftieth edition of “From the Archives.” I have [...]

From the Archives

Jack Benny Says Goodbye, Sort Of

by | June 8th, 2012

The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 120,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)

During the golden age of radio, there was no one bigger than Jack Benny. How big was he? Well, his star power was so [...]

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