There’s been quite a few parodies of the Tom Cruise Scientology Video, but the following one by Eugene Mirman is the latest and, I think, one of the best. Kind of proof that no topic can be beaten into the ground if you have the right take on it. Particularly wonderful is how Mirman takes the little detail about Cruise saying that Scientologists are the only one who can help at car accidents and makes it into an obsession that runs throughout.
Yesterday, the Upright Citizens Brigade launched what they describe as their “third stage”, UCBComedy.com. They’re making original web videos for it, the first being the clip below called “Shirts vs. Skins.” It’s a little Not Safe For Work.
While cleaning some old files off my machine, I rediscovered this gem. It’s Tim and Eric looking for funding for their podcast from Apple. I love how long they’re able to stay straight faced in this.
One very funny details that’s not a part of the video: In the short series of podcasts available on iTunes for Tim & Eric, this one, part 5, is the only one that you can’t find on their site. No sense of humor Apple?
Comedy Central Records is experimenting with putting out some albums digital only. The lead off for this is the EP “God’s Pottery: Live from Comix” from the faux Christian group God’s Pottery. With songs like “A Brand New Start with Christ” which asserts the superiority of Christianity over Judaism and Islam, God’s Pottery plays against them with some aggressively cheerful patter that’s just as judgmental. A friend of mine once wondered if the pair could actually play at an Evangelical event and the attendees not know. Well, they might get tipped off the word “shitstorm” in the fourth song “Jesus I Need a Drink.” If you like the comedy to be sacrilegious in disguise, this is for you.
Normally, I’d give a track here, but the EPs is less than $4. Do I really need to tease one track out of four? In lieu of that, however, here’s a little video snippet which catches the group in the process of mixing their CD:
Comedy Central Records has got a couple of more digital releases coming up before the end of the year. On December 18, Comedy Central takes Hard ‘n Phirm‘s previously released album “Horses and Grasses” online and also gives us a single from Mike Birbiglia entitled “Medium Man”, which should be familiar to any of those who saw his college tour.
The second season of David Wain’s show “Wainy Days” just began yesterday. If you were like me yesterday and hadn’t watched any of the episodes, you’ve been (and I was) missing something. I watched all eleven in a row and gradually found myself falling for its non sequiturs, bizarre choices and playfulness.
The show revolves around Wain’s dating life, and though he supposedly found the girl right under his nose (his real life girlfriend Zandy) at the end of the first series, the reset button is pressed very quickly here.
The current strike by the Writers Guild of America is incredibly unfortunate. Though the internet is a relatively young medium, the writers are right to insist that they get compensated for sales/viewings on the web - particularly after making the sacrifice they made in 1988 to support the equally young at the time DVD market. There are far better sources out there for the why and the wherefores of the strike, so I’m not going to talk much about it. Readers should definitely check out Deadline Hollywood and United Hollywood, the first a good source for what’s going on and the second serving as a web arm for the writers’ voice in this mess. What I’m interested in is what might come out of this strike - by looking back at something that was part of the last.
Many say the 1988 strike set the stage for reality programming, but I think it’s arguable that it also was influential in creating the next paradigm in comedy - that being “The SImpsons.” At the time, George Meyer, who had talken a self-imposed withdrawal from the industry after stints at SNL and Late Night with David Letterman, starting toying with a photocopied newsletter called “Army Man.” At only 8 pages, it’s still coveted by comedy writers today.
“Army Man” had a ramshackle layout with several short typewritten jokes scattered throughout the page, but it was all pro when it came to the writing. I have copies of the three issues produced and each one I’ve poured over numerous times, digging into the little details - appreciate the economy of the comedy.
Here’s a taste of what Army Man was like:
That woman in the Virginia Slims ad is cute, but she smokes.
Submissions Policy
Due to the tiny volume of mail we receive, we are able to acknowledge every submission with a heartfelt personal note, and occasionally even a gift.
Can’t-Draw Comics
Okay. Here it is. The caption says, “Honorarium.” And it’s like an aquarium, only it has little trophies and plaques swimming around. Can’t you just picture it? I hope so, because otherwise I’m in deep trouble.
Army Man was begun before the writers strike, but after the first issue the strike was certainly on. And several comedy writers, who had jokes they wanted to tell, ended up contributing to Army Man - as contributor Ian Frazier relates here in this interview with Believer.
Once the strike was over, SImpsons producer Sam Simon, who was a big fan of Army Man staffed some of the Simpsons writers room with Army Man contributors including Meyer, John Swatzwelder and Jon Vitti.
Writers write. If the strike goes on for any length, they’ll start making stuff again but for themselves. Stuff like Army Man. And this time, it would be photocopied 200 times and handed among friends. It’s going to get to the rest of the world through the web.
Predictions have been that a long strike could be good for web entertainment and if the audience does go looking, and the writers are writing, they’ll find each other. There will be a direct connection between creator and audience. So a side project that’s creatively fulfilling like Army Man could become something that has demand in the marketplace. Demand that the studios could be totally cut out of.
Now of course, with broadband video maturing, that creatively fulfilling strike side project doesn’t have to be Army Man. It could be the Simpsons.
I’m not sure how close we are to this yet. I think the key would be getting a writer-created show sold through something like iTunes. Or some micro-payment structure equivalent to what ZeFrank did with the show and Jonathan Coulton does on his site. I can see this more likely in some ways for a sci-fi show, which has cult audience that will be loyal to something - but with many writers also being the performers in comedy, they have a chance to go beyond cult - attracting a general public who’s missing new work by them.
But if I was among the producers, I’d be looking to solve this faster, before writers start writing for themselves. Because it seems like to me, the longer this is drawn out, the producers resistance to giving up a residual looks like a risk at giving up the entire pie.
I’d love to put all the issues online myself, but I’d rather have some kind of permission first. However, after the jump, you’ll find my favorite cartoon from “Army Man” ever…
Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn and Maria Bamford are hooked up with SuperDeluxe to document their 2007 Comedians of Comedy tour - a la the movie and the TV show. Except it’s more mockumentary than documentary this time, with semi-staged bits from behind the scenes. Here’s the first from Seattle.
I could never do what Maria just did there. Blech.
Mike Judge tells MTV he's kinda warmed up to the idea of doing a live action Beavis and Butt-Head movie. He just animated a short segment with the duo for the upcoming "The Animation Show."
Andrew Dice Clay: "I think girl comics are doing better than guy comics today. They're more exciting than guy comics." Later, tells interviewer about a girl coming over who a "10-and-a-half." (AV Club)
The good: CBS adds two sitcoms to schedule. The bad: Mike Birbiglia's show appears to have not been picked up. You can watch previews of what they did order.
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Many say the 1988 strike set the stage for reality programming, but I think it’s arguable that it also was influential in creating the next paradigm in comedy - that being “The SImpsons.” At the time, George Meyer, who had talken a self-imposed withdrawal from the industry after stints at SNL and Late Night with David Letterman, starting toying with a photocopied newsletter called “Army Man.” At only 8 pages, it’s still coveted by comedy writers today.
