Posted by Sharilyn On August - 30 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Monday, August 30
David Letterman: Jimmie Walker
Jay Leno: Whitney Cummings
Carson Daly: Aubrey Plaza (repeat)
Lopez Tonight: Louis CK (repeat)
Regis and Kelly: Chris Rock (repeat)
Tuesday, August 31
The View: Chris Hardwick (repeat)
Wednesday, September 1
Regis and Kelly: Jude Law, Mike Myers (repeat)
Thursday, September 2
David Letterman: Will Arnett
Jimmy Fallon: Jon Glaser
Lopez Tonight: Steve Carell (repeat)
Friday, September 3
Jay Leno: Louis C.K.
Ellen DeGeneres: Jim Carrey (repeat)
Posted by Sharilyn On August - 30 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
One of the few memorable moments of last night’s Emmys was the film shot by the folks at Modern Family. Part industry dig and part self-deprecation, it gave the Glee-themed opening number a serious run for its money.
But the big gag at the end – spoiler alert – gave me a sudden feeling of deja vu. Haven’t I seen George Clooney in a man’s bed in an awards show pre-taped piece before? It seems to ring a very loud, homoerotic, Jon-Stewart-2006-Oscar bell.
There really are no new ideas in Hollywood.
So who did it (or did him) better? Modern Family at the 2010 Emmys, or Jon Stewart at the 2006 Oscars? Vote below!
Posted by Sharilyn On August - 23 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
While the writers from the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien didn’t win the Creative Arts Emmy this weekend, there IS some good news to come out of the event. The B-Roll was produced! Yes, arguably the best part of the annual Emmy broadcast is the video produced by each show, representing their respective writing teams.
When the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program was annexed to the Creative Arts edition, comedy nerds mourned the loss of their insider-y writer jokes and fleeting moments of silliness.
But trust Team Conan to come to our rescue! With minimal production facilities to work with, they came up with something simple but great. Unfortunately, the still shot gives away the joke, but there are a few additional treats within. Here’s hoping the other shows’ reels exist – and that we’ll see them when the show airs on E! August 27.
Posted by Sharilyn On August - 23 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Apparently this is National Repeat Week.
Monday, August 23
Craig Ferguson: Ellie Kemper (repeat)
Jimmy Fallon: Eddie Izzard (repeat)
Tuesday, August 24
Jimmy Fallon: Steve Carell (repeat)
Lopez Tonight: Jason Sudeikis
The View: Will Forte (repeat)
Wednesday, August 25
David Letterman: Tom Dreesen
Jay Leno: Steve Carell (repeat)
Craig Ferguson: Paula Poundstone (repeat)
Jimmy Fallon: Will Ferrell (repeat)
Carson Daly: Penn & Teller (repeat)
Thursday, August 26
Jimmy Fallon: Denis Leary (repeat)
The View: guest co-host Mario Cantone (repeat)
Regis and Kelly: Tina Fey (repeat)
Friday, August 27
Jay Leno: Seth Meyers (repeat)
Craig Ferguson: Eric Idle (repeat)
Jimmy Fallon: J.B. Smoove (repeat)
Regis and Kelly: Larry David (repeat)
Posted by Sharilyn On August - 21 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
I’ve been less “reporter” and more “ranter” lately, and I apologize to everyone who signed up for the former. Unfortunately, this is going to make it a little worse. Even better: this one doesn’t even have a point.
(Also: It’s my blog, I’ll shoehorn an only vaguely-comedic topic in if I want to.)
I’ll start by saying that I’m a fan of an edgy, topical joke. My boundaries tend to be loose (that’s what he said) and cracks that go “over the line” are more likely to make me yawn than they are to piss me off.
Adoption drive spokesman duties at the Pet Rescue Shelter in Winnipeg; signing autographs for a young fan in Toronto. Photos by Sharilyn Johnson.
Kurt Browning is a household name in Canada, but for those beyond our borders: 4-time World Champion figureskater, and one of the most beloved celebrities in the country.
He’s also a brilliant comedic performer. On the ice, he’s fearless, displaying incredible skills as a clown and physical comedian (and awesome comedic actor, for those lucky enough to see him in Pan). He cares – deeply – about connecting with people. That’s what makes him a great performer, and a great person.
This week, his home in Toronto was destroyed by fire.
His family – including his two sons and his wife Sonia (principal dancer with the National Ballet) were thankfully not hurt. The house and its contents? Not quite as lucky.
But while the smoke was still billowing into the Toronto sky, the jokes started online.
The first to come were the “flaming” comments. Yes, har har, all figureskaters are fags. Aren’t you clever.
But it didn’t take much longer for the line to be crossed.
Once word got out that the fire may have been accidentally caused by Kurt (a statement the fire dept. has since retreated from), that’s when the line got crossed.
My friend Tina runs a wonderful fansite for Kurt, which he’s practically adopted as “official”. Among his own contributions are a few fun photos of him posing as if it’s a mugshot, pulling silly/guilty faces. Just something he did as a favor for Tina, for laughs.
Now, it’s being grabbed off the site and used against him. People are putting the photo alongside comments he started the fire, and here’s his mug shot for arson, har har.
How much of a piece of shit must you be to think this is okay?
Others find the situation HILARIOUS because his mansion and Porsche burned. A commenter on the Hollywood Reporter story decided the whole thing was oh-so-funny, because rich people don’t own items of personal significance.
I’ve been honoured to speak with him enough to almost comfortably say I “know” him. He’s remarkably candid with people he barely knows, and goes out of his way to make everyone feel special. You watch him interact with fans and clueless journalists, and you think “this guy just cannot be for real”.
Kurt, of all people, doesn’t deserve this.
None of us know what – if anything – is salvageable from inside. But consider this: aside from the typical mementos like baby albums and the love letters, the home contained an endless number of artifacts from his skating career, and her dancing career. He also had belongings from his father who passed recently, who lived the life of an Alberta cowboy most of us can only imagine as a movie.
The home was a Canadian heritage, sport, and culture museum all rolled into one. Operative word, of course, being “was”.
Even if you don’t know Kurt, this is a tragic loss. Hell, even if you don’t give a shit about Kurt, it’s tragic.
Kicking him while he’s experiencing the worst personal tragedy of his life? Unforgivable.
I don’t care that he’s a celebrity. The Lohans and Montags of the world want press for a fabricated story about break-up, so Joan Rivers gets to make fun of their thick ankles on the red carpet. Fair’s fair. But this? Not fair. To anyone in this situation.
The only saving grace is that – knowing how Kurt deals with things – he’s likely avoiding the media coverage and its smirk-filled comments.
Still to be announced? Shows at Caroline’s, and perhaps a few panels at the Paley Centre.
And if you’re in the mood for counterprogramming, I hear Comix is bringing Greg Proops in that weekend. I have a feeling I’ll have some tough scheduling choices to make again this year!
Posted by Sharilyn On August - 2 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Monday, August 2
David Letterman: Will Ferrell
Craig Ferguson: Eddie Izzard
Jimmy Fallon: Kathy Griffin, Adam McKay
The View: guest co-host Mario Cantone
Ellen DeGeneres: Amy Poehler (repeat)
Tuesday, August 3
Daily Show: Will Ferrell
Lopez Tonight: Margaret Cho
The View: Chris Hardwick
Ellen DeGeneres: George Lopez (repeat)
Wednesday, August 4
Craig Ferguson: Paula Poundstone
Jimmy Fallon: Will Ferrell
Thursday, August 5
David Letterman: Cory Kahaney
Jimmy Fallon: Denis Leary
Tavis Smiley: Garry Shandling
Lopez Tonight: Will Ferrell, Elisabeth Moss
The View: Lorraine Bracco
Friday, August 6
Jay Leno: comics from “Chelsea Lately”**
**Does Leno hate having comics on his show SO much that he can’t even name them?
Posted by Sharilyn On July - 29 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Snookigate!!
So read the tweets this morning after details of US President Obama’s visit to The View started getting out (the episode airs Friday aired today).
The scandalous comment made? He’s never heard of Snooki, the bepouffed star of Jersey Shore.
GASP!! Oh, Mr. President, say it ain’t so!
Wait — that alone isn’t a concern, because one would certainly hope a sitting president doesn’t sit around watching crappy MTV reality shows.
But here’s the actual scandal: Obama made a reference to Snooki during this year’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner. He knew who she was THEN, right??
Ddun-dun-duuuunnnn.
Mediaite, a site that I’ve expected better from, ran the Snookigate contradiction. It’s now spreading like wildfire among bored junior web editors everywhere.
Perhaps the most eyeroll-inducing example is from one of the million monkeys employed at Gawker. They pecked out this story, designing three different conspiracy theories to explain the discrepancy. But they seemed to forget that just months ago, they re-posted the Daily Beast’s scoop re: Obama’s WHCD speech being penned by some of the Daily Show writers.
I don’t think anyone is exactly calling for impeachment for this (though I haven’t checked Fox News yet), and some outlets do seem to get the ridiculousness of this. But it proves two things: how reporters’ brains shut down completely upon hearing that Something Happened That Can Become A Story If We Want It To, but mostly how ignorant people are when it comes to the function of comedy writers.
These guys were hired – and trusted – by the administration to help write a speech that was funny. They delivered. And Obama did a great read of it. What more can you ask for in a client/performer?
Had they insisted in removing the Snooki reference simply because Obama didn’t know the show, that would be a slippery slope of material destruction. And a much bigger crime than “Snookigate”.
Sharilyn Johnson is a full-time television writer, part-time blogger, and sometimes comic.
An entertainment writer since 1995, she was the comedy reporter for Winnipeg’s Uptown Magazine from 2002-2007, and produced & hosted the radio program Laugh Tracks for three seasons. She has also performed standup, and trained extensively in comedy writing and improv in Toronto and New York through the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, the People’s Improv Theatre, Bad Dog Theatre, Impatient Theatre Co., and more.
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Snookigate!!
Sharilyn Johnson is a full-time television writer, part-time blogger, and sometimes comic.