Comedian at the Superbowl?

~ Wiberg

I was just thinking how cool it would be if the NFL had for its half-time ‘entertainment’ a stand-up comedian in place of the usually lame lip-syncing acts they put on year after year. Imagine George Carlin doing his football/baseball bit to 80,000 people plus tv audience. Or someone (other than Carrot Top).  I may write more on this later….or not.

New joke I thought of: If Walker, Texas Ranger is such a badass, how come he hasn’t been promoted by now? ie., Chuck Norris is….”Walker, Texas Ranger Head Supervisor, tonight on CBS. Check your local listings.”

David Lynch, comedian

~ Wiberg

David Lynch is know for such cinematic family fare as Blue Velvet, Elephant Man, Eraserhead, and Mulholland Drive. But he is also a very straight-shooting, funny guy. He would make an excellent stand-up comedian.

Crackle.com and first contest winner

~ Wiberg ~ 1 Comment

This is a few months old news, but a local Central California resident, Lizette Mizelle, won Crackle.com’s first contest back in August. I think there are too many comedy websites with contests, but if you are gonna win one, it doesn’t hurt to win at this site, which is owned by Sony Entertainment Pictures (and, of course, don’t forget to watch your favorite stand-up comedian on your new Sony Bravia…things are funnier in HD).

Links:    crackle.com    and crackle.com/contest   (click on Hall of Fame, then scroll down to see Lizette’s set)

Steve Martin – some funny movies

~ Wiberg

I thought I would list a few my favorite Steve Martin films, related to my earlier post about his new book. Here are some, not all, which I can’t help to miss:

The Jerk – closest to his stand-up act, in terms of an character who is not in on the jokes.  Not to compare it at all, but the more recent film Napolean Dynamite has some of the same dynamics. People either ‘get it’ or don’t.

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles – great movie, great soundtrack, great Martin and John Candy – anybody know where to find the musical score? And too bad they didn’t have the chance to make about a hundred more movies together – a perfect pair in this film.

Parenthood & Father of the Bride films – this begins ‘those movies’ – sappy comedies with obligatory family drama.  Like television on the big screen. But both have some pretty funny moments.

Bowfinger – smart and funny.

According to imdb.com, Steve Martin has written or acted in several dozen movies. I’m not sure if there is in recent history a comedian who has moved to the big screen in so many solid movies. Sure, there are some duds, but that happens. Robin Williams comes to mind, and I’ll post about him later.  Eddie Murphy – suprisingly not even close – maybe half a dozen films worth his talent, but the rest are far behind. Both Williams and Murphy are still strongly associated with Stand-up comedy (videos, dvds) but I bet most movie-goers under 30 have no idea that Steve Martin performed stand-up comedy for more than 10 years before he began making films.

btw – I’m used to seeing items linked to Amazon.com for purchase (books, movies, etc).  I’m not doing that on this site, obviously.

Steve Martin – Born Standing Up

~ Wiberg ~ 1 Comment

Steve Martin

Steve Martin has a new, excellent, 207 page book out in stores this month, titled Born Standing Up. Anybody interested in stand-up comedy should read Martin’s story. He recalls his early jobs as a teenager and young man, and later as a hugely popular comedian touring the country in 1970s, playing venues filled with thousands of people. The banjo, the arrow-through-the-head gag, the white suit – he describes the evolution of this act, from the beginnings as a kid with a talent for magic tricks and goofiness, to a young, educated man twisting general perceptions of stand-up comedy with his absurd actions, oddball humor and hard work.

He mentions very little of his movie career, except when related to some of his material in his stand-up act, so we are spared of stories about life on the set of Cheaper By The Dozen. Instead, he gives us a focused account of one of the hottest comedy acts of the 20th century – his own.

Most comedians can and do package their jokes into book form and slap a $20 price on it and watch it climb the bestseller lists. Those are sorta funny, I’m-on-an-airplane reads. But, only a few jokers actually take the time to asses their stand-up act, themselves and stand-up comedy. I think this is only because a few have the stand-up comedy career worth studying, like Steve Martin.

Here’s Martin performing his Fun Balloon Animals piece:

Dennis Wolfberg – an absolute original comic.

~ Wiberg ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a clip of another favorite – Dennis Wolfberg, who passed away in 1994. Before I ever dreamed of doing stand-up comedy, this guy was in the back of my mind as one of THE ones to emulate – in terms of writing jokes that are personal, clean, and hilarious. Mr. Wolfberg also gained cult status on the show “Quantum Leap” playing the character Gooshie, as well as performing at Comic Relief. This clip features a hilarious bit about his teaching experience with imbeciles, morons, and idiots!