tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72050922011-04-21T18:50:38.060-04:00<i>"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." </i> -E. B. WhiteTodd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.comBlogger551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1097621645772088222004-10-12T18:53:00.000-04:002004-10-12T18:54:05.773-04:00

Dead-Frog.com. Go there now!

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095920183959330152004-09-23T02:16:00.000-04:002004-09-24T01:16:37.353-04:00

A short time ago, Todd of OddTodd.com announced that the Comedy Central version of his unemployed adventures would not see the light of day. He described himself as "OK" with the whole thing, since the show really wasn't what he wanted nor what Comedy Central wanted. No hard feelings. So what happened? OddTodd recently gave a more satirical Flash cartoon account of his development experiences

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095910445385065842004-09-22T23:31:00.000-04:002004-09-22T23:34:05.386-04:00

I mentioned my Jest piece the other day, but they just posted the text to their website. Check out "Sleeper Cell" here.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095710582338381162004-09-22T14:44:00.000-04:002004-09-22T15:24:16.980-04:00

One of the charms of Da Ali G Show is wondering how the hell they tricked luminaries like Boutros Boutros-Ghali into agreeing to an interview in the first place. If you like to treat your comedians like magicians, you probably shouldn't read the piece Slate published detailing exactly that. Included in the report is a sample letter sent to one of the victims and links to two of the fake websites

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095842779373366482004-09-22T04:46:00.000-04:002004-09-22T04:46:19.373-04:00

In the following transcript of an interview with Jon Stewart to promote America (the Book), Bill O'Reilly describes The Daily Show's audiences as stoned slackers, most of whom are intoxicated while watching. And worst of all, they're voters! Check it.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095833995296479932004-09-22T01:40:00.000-04:002004-09-22T14:21:16.246-04:00

Salon published an interesting pair of articles on comedy trailblazers. The first, uses the recent Lenny Bruce box set Let The Buyer Beware as an impetus to find ten comics today who not so much carry Bruce's torch but use it to set fire to everything wrong on this planet. Just like Bruce would. Number one turns out to be Howard Stern, which by admission of the author seems a little off. His main

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095709336024296922004-09-20T15:42:00.000-04:002004-09-20T18:31:11.173-04:00

I normally can't stand award shows... self-congratulatory excess is one of Hollywood's worst traits, but awards for comedy writing went exactly where they should (and needed) to go. I'm hoping Arrested Development's Best Comedy Emmy annoints it as the next Seinfeld, with the subsequent ratings explosion to follow. And in some ways, I wonder if that's exactly what the voters were thinking too. The

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095434268083087652004-09-17T10:47:00.000-04:002004-09-17T11:20:48.040-04:00

Not really a Nickelodeon viewer. I'm way out of the demographic and when I was in the demographic, my parents thought cable was a waste of money. So I'm almost a year behind Nick's discovery of the "Funniest Kid in America." Her name is Christina Kirkman, and at least one journalist is impressed with her satirical chops. Thanks to the votes of Nick-addicted youth, she won a gig as a cast member

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095283971339013282004-09-15T17:20:00.000-04:002004-09-15T17:32:51.340-04:00

If you live in New York, check out the latest issue of the humor mag Jest, which features a humor piece by yours truly entitled "Sleeper Cell." I won't say too much so I don't give away the joke. But if you're wondering why we weren't attacked again on September 11, it's because we owe a great debt to Alan Ball. God bless you and that depressed Fisher family. If you think you could be a better

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095285927257758222004-09-15T16:58:00.000-04:002004-09-15T18:05:27.256-04:00

A mediabistro article invites you to join critics as they remember the worst TV pilots they ever saw. Lots o' sitcoms get the shout out including, the current Center of the Universe, the never-aired Grubbs and the cited-as-perennial-target Desmond Pfeiffer. Anyone wonder now why the sitcom is dead?

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095285354635991322004-09-15T16:42:00.000-04:002004-09-15T17:55:54.636-04:00

Jim Carrey's getting the AFI Star Award at this year's Aspen Comedy Festival. Yawn. Considering the state of film comedy, I'm surprised Jim Carrey didn't win sooner. Of course, I don't see a single one of his early films on the circa-2000 AFI's 100 Laughs list. What happened? Did somebody just get around to watching Dumb & Dumber?

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095287117492520562004-09-15T15:11:00.000-04:002004-09-22T02:38:51.850-04:00

Shout Factory just put out a huge six disc set of Lenny Bruce's comedy entitled Let The Buyer Beware. Great for any comedy completists who need to know who created the path stand-ups tread today, whether they know it or not. I admire Shout Factory for making such a (along with my blessed Freaks and Geeks DVDs. Rock!), but I wish they put longer previews of Lenny's tracks on its web page. You see,

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095220869522508042004-09-15T00:01:00.000-04:002004-09-15T00:01:09.523-04:00

Apparently the developers of Doom 3 were huge fans of the Office. Hidden in the game is a email from Brent encouraging "Finchy" to bone up for Quiz Night, a reference to an episode from Season 1. You can see screens of the easter egg here.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1095208489506318052004-09-14T19:17:00.000-04:002004-09-14T20:34:49.506-04:00

Louis CK's getting a chance to helm his own sitcom on HBO. Louis' focus is a little different, at least for now. As he describes it, along with the development deal, he's definitely getting a new half-hour comedy special for the network. Which is what he's really looking forward to, as it's "concrete" and his last appearance in an 90's era HBO Young Comedians special "left a lot to be desired."

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1094251666509263292004-09-03T17:56:00.000-04:002004-09-03T18:49:45.426-04:00

Caught Father of the Pride. Nothing really funny about it, sad to say. Father looks amazing. Dazzling animation doesn't make for good jokes. The camera and animators often get in the way of the humor. One joke where an overly-cute panda takes a seat on the lead's lap rather than a chair is shot as a close-up, making it impossible to tell what just happened, killing the gag. Sure the fur

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1093403953172816042004-08-25T01:17:00.000-04:002004-08-25T03:24:40.806-04:00

More updates on the funny when I get back. Honest.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1093161308198289532004-08-24T23:55:00.000-04:002004-08-25T03:23:08.180-04:00

On Sunday, The New York Times described why jokes about George Bush have become far more aggressive and political. For the most part, all the reasons they point out (the unpopularity of his policies and the harshness of all comedy these days) are fairly accurate. The most interesting points occur at the end of the article: 1) The initial joke that George Bush is a bumbler has helped him.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1093162312580160392004-08-23T23:11:00.000-04:002004-08-24T03:48:54.403-04:00

Comic Sharon Houston popped up on The Special Thing Comedy Boards to explain her intentions behind the Fahrenheit: LCS2 video she made. She seems genuinely shocked that it's gotten the attention it has. From her description, the screed wasn't so much a rant against reality TV editing as much as an opportunity to tell a few jokes at LCS's expense. Though this is comedian defense #1 when a joke of

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092951197148796732004-08-19T16:56:00.001-04:002004-08-19T17:34:50.043-04:00

Last Comic Standing 2 is all over. But some comics still have axes to grind about it. Over at cringehumor.net you can watch Fahrenheit LCS2 (third item down), where comic Sharon Houston overlays comments that slam reality TV editing onto show footage. Also included are some unnecessary barbs at two other female comics. What does someone else's age or accent have to do with your act. Particularly

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092948895634020632004-08-19T16:50:00.000-04:002004-08-19T16:54:55.633-04:00

Daily Show correspondent Stephen Colbert reinforces the stereotype of comedians as popular, bullying jocks in high school... in an alternate universe! Gamespy reminisces about 30 years of Dungeons and Dragons and guess who's a fan! (Confession: so were we.)

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092866427698408252004-08-18T17:55:00.000-04:002004-08-19T01:45:50.026-04:00

NPR has an interview with Carl Reiner where he talks about his long career. Check it out, if you got the time.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092866059146955232004-08-18T17:45:00.000-04:002004-08-18T17:54:19.146-04:00

Todd Glass has begun to sell out comedy clubs as a result of the appearances on Last Comic Standing. The Los Angeles times article refers to how Todd tweaks the stand-up profession too. His act was my favorite in the LCS Wild Card shows with his magician-secret-revealing set-ups. "You know what guys do that's a little cartoonish? Or maybe guys don't do this. I think I might have made it up for my

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092773836361619142004-08-17T13:40:00.000-04:002004-08-19T01:40:16.300-04:00

A University of Michigan study has linked voter apathy to late night TV. The report links lack of voting with viewership of Letterman, Leno, etc. There's also the corollary that watching programs like Oprah makes young adults more politically optimistic as well as more likely to vote. I have to say I can see why this would be true. Seeing things like a crowd of country music fans willingly

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092731712740591112004-08-16T23:35:00.000-04:002004-08-17T04:35:12.740-04:00

Late night underwent a sudden shift last week when Craig Kilborn announced he was leaving The Late Late Show. I've never been a big fan of the man... the smugness always wore on me. He did seem perfect for the first incarnation of the Daily Show which was more news parody than news satire. He was a modern Ron Burgundy, your local news anchor transported to basic cable. But I never really saw

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092299448643506852004-08-12T02:39:00.000-04:002004-08-12T04:30:48.643-04:00

You know how people complain when comedians try serious roles? All kinds of bitchin' and moanin' that demands comics to "just be funny." Well, there one guy who never waivered from the comedy path. Chevy Chase. Sorta proof you can't win with audiences, huh? Granted, calling most of Chevy's movies from '85 on comedies is being charitable to the order of Mother Teresa. Entertainment Weekly

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1092167806643948342004-08-10T15:07:00.000-04:002004-08-12T01:53:25.303-04:00

Last night, I came home to catch The Daily Show and discovered that Blue Collar TV now reruns on Comedy Central. As a former Atlantan and Southerner, I felt the need to rewind the TiVo to see what I missed. (I should clarify that I'm technically more of a son of carbetbaggers, as my folks are Yankees and we didn't move there 'til I was six.) Blue Collar TV isn't exactly my mason jar of

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1091862383396936812004-08-06T23:31:00.000-04:002004-08-07T12:40:12.883-04:00

There's been talk about the July 28th Nightline, which featured an exchange between Ted Koppel and Jon Stewart that some say outlines the gulf between old and new TV journalism. The description of The Daily Show as journalism gives insight into how low journalism has fallen. Not because The Daily Show is bad journalism, but because journalism isn't doing it's job and satire is having to pick up

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1091518570019383822004-08-03T00:09:00.000-04:002004-08-03T03:36:10.020-04:00

Despite recent ungrateful stand-up audiences, Dave Chappelle's signed for two more seasons of Chappelle's Show. Chappelle has mentioned the show's a success because he writes it as if people aren't watching. Now that he know they are, let's hope he can forget. Let's hope idiotic requests for Tyrone or Rick James aren't heard on his Showtime special.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1091480774112387772004-08-02T16:05:00.000-04:002004-08-03T02:45:59.506-04:00

Well, no. But a nice inflammatory headline, huh? In the trailer to their new marionette movie Team America, Trey Parker and Matt Stone promise that George Bush, among others, won't be happy when he sees the flick. Well, one down and ten or so to go. W. hasn't even seen it yet and already his handlers are expressing their displeasure. Though not the first time Trey and Matt have satirized a

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1091089755134968372004-07-31T23:29:00.000-04:002004-08-02T16:46:22.286-04:00

"The sitcom is in trouble" story is both true and in nearly as much trouble as the sitcom itself for one reason: it's been written for the past five years. There are no more fresh angles. The articles are taking on a last gasp quality. Sunday's New York Times paints Arrested Development as writers' best hope at reviving the moribund genre. (And the reporter should know, being a sitcom writer

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1091085229046995062004-07-29T00:29:00.000-04:002004-07-29T04:18:45.396-04:00

I'm sure you've seen the very funny cartoon done by the folks at JibJab that uses a parody of "This Land is Your Land" as a vehicle to have some fun with both candidates and, poignantly enough, imply a desire for bipartisianship in this election year. And naturally, somebody had to come along and try to spoil it. The copyright holders of "This Land is Your Land", Ludlow Music, Inc. (apparently

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1090563631635122382004-07-23T02:15:00.000-04:002004-07-26T12:29:52.213-04:00

Comedy nerds will rejoice to hear about Trio's first original comedy series Pilot Season (read the release here). Pilot Season will be about the people who struggle to try and get something of quality on TV every Spring. And fail. Though I'm over TV about TV, with talent the calibre of Sarah Silverman and David Cross involved, I'm interested. Plus I enjoyed the original movie the show's based on,

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1090568178759186242004-07-22T23:20:00.000-04:002004-07-26T12:31:14.386-04:00

To write comedy, do you have to have an uncensored environment? That's essentially the question that's being put before the California Supreme Court in a harassment case involving some of the Friends writers. I absolutely fall into the idea that it's a creative necessity to be able to say anything, because that's how you find laughs. What makes funny stuff is usually inappropriate stuff that

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1090444702171839602004-07-21T17:17:00.000-04:002004-07-21T17:18:22.170-04:00

Another thing I wonder while watching Crossballs: was the audience told what they'd be seeing? Do they know the show is a satire? It seems like it can take a while for the audience to laugh (that may just be because something wasn't all that funny). But that might also be because they don't know they are allowed to laugh. (The decision to have an audience is also curious... is it a variation on

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1090396913899580362004-07-20T23:33:00.000-04:002004-07-21T17:16:52.286-04:00

Despite complaints from the left and the right, I have a hard time seeing anyone who appears on the show Crossballs getting all that upset. Mainly because I can't believe they would still buy the show as real after seeing some of the exaggerated positions the fake guests take. On a show about vegetarians/animals, Matt Besser appeared as a German concerned about the purity of the German Shepherd

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1090233741913998432004-07-19T06:37:00.000-04:002004-07-21T04:03:46.996-04:00

Announcer: So you think you're an aughties - a zeroties - the ohties - oh, whatever - fan? OK, Osama but are you ready for this jelly? It's "I Love the 2000s" and this is 2001! The terror! The TV! The Taliban! The flicks! The fundamentalist Muslims! A totally scarring year that gave us these burning questions: Why do other countries hate us so much? Mo Rocca: Could be

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089929881227156492004-07-15T18:18:00.000-04:002004-07-17T02:04:43.093-04:00

Great piece on NPR about Demetri Martin, despite the reference to him as "the voice of generation Y." Though the comparison isn't made in the piece, I've always seen Demetri Martin as kind of a successor to Steven Wright. They both have similar rhythms to their jokes - one-liners that have "a-ha" moments where the sudden perspective shifts are combustible. Of course this was before, I caught his

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089866897773409212004-07-14T10:43:00.000-04:002004-07-15T05:37:51.410-04:00

Big Ups to Sacha, Ite? Great (and apparently rare) interview with Ali G alter-ego Sacha Cohen (or rather, vice versa... or not) in the New York Times today. Particularly interesting is the distinction Sacha makes about his interview subjects and other targets being good sports. He says: I think the term "sports" is wrong because that implies that they are playing along and they realize they're

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089791384356026842004-07-13T22:09:00.000-04:002004-07-15T00:53:06.703-04:00

While ordering Patton Oswalt's album over iTunes, I noticed that a search for Genre:Comedy does not work on the store. Currently it just takes you to back to the main iTunes page. Don't know if it's always been this way or not, but it's rather frustrating. The return of the comedy album has been pursued heavily by people like Uproar Comedy, Laugh.com and, most notably, Comedy Central Records.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089498699629724342004-07-10T18:02:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:35:37.140-04:00

Out o' curiousity, I ended up on iTunes looking for Patton Oswalt's Feelin' Kinda Patton and lo and behold, there it was. I gave it a listen and found it incredibly entertaining. Apparently the 80 or so minutes of the CD were taken from a two and a half hour set at Athens' 40 Watt Club. So it feels a little choppy at first and thus a little setup/punch, setup/punch initially. To me, I like

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089302242125247662004-07-08T11:57:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:39:24.846-04:00

Neglected to mention I listened to David Cross's It's Not Funny while on vacation too. There's nothing like driving through the deep woods in Larry the Cable Guy country and listening to a commie-terrorist like David Cross spew his filthy joo mouth at decent God-fearing people. Thank Beelzebub! I seriously loved how David Cross imagined the journey of exploitation it took to make the gold

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1089271604013850772004-07-07T23:43:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:41:00.453-04:00

Been a little too long. Won't space these out so much. The New York Daily News ran a perennial reporter-tries-comedy story today. I don't know why editors accept such stories (or why a writer would even pitch one... ugh). I promise to try and spare you too many observations when I take some more improv class later this month. One of the reason I think we're seeing stories like this one might

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1088700300162823732004-07-01T12:19:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:44:08.480-04:00

More on SNL, God help us all: One of the things I remember from that New York Magazine 1995 piece was an irate Al Franken yelling at Janeane Garofalo during a rehearsal for attempting to remember her lines, rather than reading the cue cards. At the time, I bought it, because I'd never seen Janeane do stand-up live, where she's constantly referring to her notes (at least for what she wants to

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1088495214838312052004-06-29T22:05:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:46:14.290-04:00

Those seeking the ultimate skeletons-in-the-closet tell-all about SNL will be a little disappointed with Gasping for Airtime. The book does have some candid details about some cast members and writers. But usually, Jay Mohr will couch a criticism or abusive behavior with some kind of praise. Take this note onJaneane Garofalo: "Though Janeane's very funny and a talented actress, she was a drag

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1088494541027685772004-06-28T23:30:00.000-04:002004-06-29T03:38:45.316-04:00

Back from Maine, having had my fill of lobster meat and bargain clothing. Also read Gasping for Airtime by Jay Mohr. For those of you unfamiliar with the title, Jay Mohr talks candidly about his two years on Saturday Night Live. Or rather, not on. Jay didn't really make much of an impact on the show, though it's not from a lack of trying on his part. Jay's short tenure fell, pretty

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1087604372264553162004-06-18T20:16:00.000-04:002004-08-12T01:48:20.356-04:00

I'm in Maine next week, so Dead Frog will be on hiatus until June 28th. Meanwhile, here's some funny for you nerds. --- HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? An adventure for characters level 8-12 The following is an adventure for 2-5 Player Characters with another player acting as Dungeon Master. The party should consist of two fighters who always hog the Atari, two clerics who won't shut up

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-108751233349305202004-06-17T18:45:00.000-04:002004-07-13T16:47:44.776-04:00

Dave Chappelle walks off stage after "fans" relentlessly yell "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" Not only are these people killing Chappelle's stand-up, they're destroying the narrow window of getting a third season of Chappelle's Show from the man. Please people, if you go to a live comedy show, shut the fuck up! More complaints of ambushing by a political themed comedy show - this time, The Daily

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1087459972608253762004-06-16T23:48:00.000-04:002004-06-17T18:08:23.736-04:00

TiVo forsook me again with Last Comic Standing. Part two of the Vegas finals aired tonight and TiVo didn't know it, even know it was on the schedule. Weird. Hopefully, I'll catch the Comedy Central rerun. That said, I'm all caught up with the episodes TiVo did record. First, a thought on getting to the Semi-40: Lots of comics had gimmicks (wearing jock straps on their head, pretending to be a

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1087358990685346622004-06-15T18:46:00.000-04:002004-06-16T02:45:07.573-04:00

Way behind in the TiVo viewing. Not only have I watched just one of the eps of Last Comic Standing, I have 43 episodes of Comedy Central Presents on my addictive little box. Again, 43. Good thing I like comedy, huh? Anyway, seems like we'll have ten finalists. Don't know who they are, but I had some thoughts on why Dat Phan won, even in the face of guys like Dave Mordal, Rich Vos and Ralphie

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086980691371435342004-06-11T15:02:00.000-04:002004-06-15T19:27:20.813-04:00

Since I'm just getting started, didn't have time to do a new piece here. But here's something I did for comedycentral.com's newsletter a while back. Enjoy. Channel 7 may NOT be on your side? The special report... here on Channel 7! You've seen their ads on television. (A quick clip of an attractive but not beautiful woman in a business suit. She radiates sincerity as she states, "It's

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086980308540377232004-06-11T14:49:00.000-04:002004-06-15T20:26:39.556-04:00

Got comments coming on Last Comic Standing, but waiting for the Comedy Central re-airing of the second episode because my TiVo only caught the first half due to somebody's funeral coverage. Ack, the nerve. Very impressed by Reno 911! second season opener (though I felt the "It was all a dream" resolution to the cliffhanger was rather done and weak). The great thing about Reno 911! is the

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086896216439957822004-06-10T15:36:00.000-04:002004-06-10T15:36:56.440-04:00

HA HA HA

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086847055548236672004-06-10T01:17:00.000-04:002004-06-10T02:22:21.330-04:00

The #1 tenet of comedy: If you're not pissing someone off, you're not doing your job. Corollary: Try to aim for Republicans... they're pretty easy targets. Apparently, being had on a TV Show is fine for celebrities, aspiring celebrities and Joe and Jane public. But do it to one conservative commentator and there is hell to pay. HELL! Apparently Comedy Central's upcoming show faux debate

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086746369952275642004-06-08T21:34:00.000-04:002004-06-10T01:17:25.840-04:00

I suppose I should just jump right in. But I have too much Charles Foster Kane in me to not start up with some variation of a Declaration of Principles. But I draw the line at making the final entry in this blog, "Rosebud." This is about comedy. I'll aggregate any of the comedy news and give some commentary, along with news/reviews on funny ha-ha movies, TV shows, CDs, DVDs, books, mags and

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205092.post-1086329345802422092004-06-04T02:08:00.000-04:002004-06-04T18:24:40.690-04:00

"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." -E. B. White But I'm going to do it anyway.

Todd Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03449203770435190303noreply@blogger.com0