TV is Dead, Long Live TV. While television is rapidly decaying on the business end of things, simultaneously it is consistently evolving, more artistically challenging and even auteur-friendly, and that is partially thanks to the infiltration of comedy podcasts. Some shows try to incorporate some of the DNA of their pods to the small screen, like Comedy Bang Bang and The Nerdist, while standups like Nikki Glaser, Sara Schaefer, and Pete Holmes have parlayed their numerous hours behind podcast mics into late night hosting gigs. Maron, premiering tomorrow, would never have become a reality if it weren't for his years hosting WTF with Marc Maron, the popular interview podcast that [...]
The Best Show on WFMU's Tom Scharpling wrote and directed this new video that just dropped on Funny Or Die today. It follows the audition process for the band The Postal Service back in 2002 and features just about everybody you love in comedy and music. I don't want to sound hyperbolic, but it features what I think is Moby's best comedic performance to date.
News came in yesterday morning that a movie based on the HBO show Entouragehas been greenlit, but more importantly, Tom Scharpling, host of the radio show/podcast The Best Show on WFMU announced via Twitter that he'll be writing his own Entourage movie live on the radio on Tuesday (9pm EST/6pm PST). Scharpling has proven capable, with co-conspirator Jon Wurster, of writing shallow dirtbag characters on The Best Show and he's also pretty good at making fun of Entourage. Listening to Scharpling riff his own Entourage movie might actually be worth the hefty price of living in a world where the Entourage movie is a real [...]
Tom Scharpling directing hilarious, polished videos for indie rockers isnothingnew, but he continues to excel with the form. Here's the WFMU host's latest comedic rock opus, for Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard's new solo single "Teardrop Windows." The video stars Gibbard and Kurt Braunolher (with cameos from Twitter's Julieanne Smolinski and UCB improviser Jim Santangeli). How many amazing music videos does Scharpling have to direct before somebody lets him make a movie already?
Tom Scharpling is a guy with a lot of irons in the fire. Not only is he the director of a recent string of popular music videos, but he’s also working on a new TV project for Comedy Central, maintaining a funny and inventive Twitter feed, writing a new album with comedy partner Jon Wurster, and, of course, hosting the weekly three-hour radio program The Best Show on WFMU. I’m exhausted just typing all that. Given his busy schedule, it was super nice of Tom Scharpling to take the time to talk to me about the plethora of projects he currently has going, how much of the banned alcoholic [...]
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 …
"Comedy has run alongside rock and indie rock for a long time. John Lennon was funny, so were David Bowie, Ween, Lou Reed, and Devo. The Clash even wrote hilarious liner notes for Sandinista. I have found that even the most serious of bands have had their own inside jokes."
- Fred Armisen to Fast Company in an excellent piece on the intersection of comedy and rock that features quotes from Marc Maron, Tom Scharpling, Aimee Mann, Ben Gibbard, and, best of all, an awesome infographic.
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.
That's what's so fun about radio: You have no idea what the host looks like. Who would've guessed Tom Scharpling was such a hunk? He is also super great at shooting shot for shot remakes of 'Til Tuesday videos. Watch the original video for "Voices Carry" after the jump. It's identical but with less glasses and beards.
Comedy videos might be considered the scrappy, comes-to-school-with-wet-hair jealous younger bully to music videos' cool older kid. But sometimes a music video earns even comedy's begrudging respect. This one, directed by Tom Scharpling and featuring Chris Gethard, Jake Fogelnest, Gabe Delahaye and Leah Giblin, is pretty funny for a music video. Now give me your lunch money and don't let me catch you trying to sit on the swings at first recess again.
The Best Show on WFMU, Tom Scharpling's hilarious radio show/podcast, holds an annual pledge drive every March to keep the show and its independent, listener-supported station, WFMU, afloat. This year's fundraising marathon, TomThon 2013, kicks off tonight at 9pm Eastern on WFMU and goes till midnight. You can listen live on WFMU.org or on the radio at 91.1 in New York or 90.1 in the Hudson Valley. Julie Klausner will be joining Scharpling in the studio tonight, and next Tuesday's show will be the second part of the big pledge drive. To pledge, email your name, address, and amount to toms@wfmu.org during the show tonight. Here's the prizes that are in [...]
Julie Klausner's excellent podcast How Was Your Week celebrated its 100th episode today with The Best Show on WFMU's Tom Scharpling serving as the episode's first guest. Maximum Fun mastermind Jesse Thorn also dropped by to serve as Julie Klausner's Mike Birbiglia and interview her about her experiences hosting the show. It's a milestone for one of the funniest, best podcasts going.
Time magazine put out its list of the 9 Best Music Videos of the Year today, and coming in at #2 is the video for Aimee Mann's "Labrador," directed by none other than comedian and host of The Best Show on WFMU, Tom Scharpling. In case you missed the video when it debuted in September, here it is embedded above, starring Aimee Mann as herself and Jon Hamm as sleazy music video director Tom Scharpling. Coming in second place behind "Gangnam Style" is quite an accomplishment, considering how wildly popular that thing is, and it's great to see Scharpling finally get some credit in an esteemed publication [...]
Every year, Comedy Central, like all of the other networks, announces a new slate of shows it’s developing, and it’s always an impressive collection of some of the funniest people going. Comedy fans who have been around long enough know not to get too excited though because there’s only so much room in the Comedy Central schedule (and budget), so most of the shows the network develops each year don’t end up getting made. Comedy Central just announced the shows that ARE getting made this year – new projects from funny people like Anthony Jeselnik, Amy Schumer, and Ben Hoffman. It’s great to see these comedians bringing [...]
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