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Classic Simpsons Week
1

Watching The Simpsons From Its Tracey Ullman Beginning

by | December 2nd, 2010

Long before every kid I knew wore “Don’t have a cow man!” or “Eat my shorts!” t-shirts –- the unofficial grade school uniform years 1989-1993 that would cause a great ruckus within PTAs nationwide — my parents had already introduced me to The Simpsons, back when the cartoon was no more than a series of 30-second sketches during The Tracey Ullman Show.

On one hand, it’s impossible for me to wrap my head around The Simpsons’ success, even having seen it from the literal beginning. On the other, there’s a 5-year-old inside me shouting to the world, “Eat my shorts! I told you so!” The Simspons was special from its raw beginning. READ MORE

Admit It
20

Why Comedy Movies Aren't Very Funny

by | November 8th, 2010

It's Robert Downey Jr's opening monologue of Due Date. I know the actor, but I don't know his character. And as he rants on about a baby names and a strange dream, I know that I'm supposed to be laughing. This is a comedy, after all, and his delivery has that cadence of "it's time to laugh…now!". But everyone in the audience is silent. Seriously. Not a single line gets as much as a chuckle. And in that moment, I feel bad for Robert Downey Jr the actor — not because he isn't absurdly talented and not because he isn't committing to the part.

I feel bad because he was put in a situation by a script or director or editor or all of the above to just be funny without context. I feel bad because I know he has a lot more of this movie to suffer through. I feel bad because even for this great movie actor, maybe movies are not the best way to deliver comedy, not when we have television and the mighty internet. READ MORE

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