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The 1/2 Hour News Hour, part of Fox News' attempt to lure in that coveted 18-34 demographic, premiered tonight, and writers from the CC Insider were among the dozens of people watching. Let's take a look at some of the show's subject matter...
- Marion Barry
- An ACLU case from 1977
- Ed Begley, Jr.
- The Bygone Era of the Obvious Laugh Track
- "Angry Lesbians"
- Che Guevara
- Chairman Mao
In what decade did they write this show? Did they really devote the show's running gag to Ed Begley, Jr.? Really? Ed Begley, Jr.??? (For those of you under the age of 30, Ed Begley, Jr. is a character actor who used to get some press last millennium for his advocation of hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, which is, like, doing well or something.) Did cast member Susan Yeagley steal these jokes from her husband Kevin Nealon's old Commodore 64?
In all fairness, the show did have a few decent bits, including a rather clever segment in which an expert could link any problem in the world to Global Warming in six steps or less. And they referenced a book for mentally underdeveloped children called "The Little Engine That Couldn't Quite." (Really, who doesn't have a soft spot for a retard joke?)
But so much of the rest of the show was just so helplessly out of touch and soft that it seems questionable what good it will do for anyone. Even a brief showing by brilliant alternative comedian Ann Coulter--who, for years, has managed to trick most of the country into believing that he's a vitriolic female conservative--couldn't pull the show above the level of a high school AV club produced parody.
With its resurrected jokes and lifeless delivery, the show seems unlikely to appeal to anyone except your conservative great-uncle and the completely untapped zombie demographic.
Please, if you've seen the show, give us your opinions.
Recent Comments
Carols Mencia is a thief who steals his jokes. Here is proof:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsq1uTLBHBc
Posted by Justin Baker | Feb 19, 2007 1:05:55 AM
I just watched the replay and was disappointed (didn't think that was possible). The format sucked, the hosts were awkward and amateurish and most of the jokes were just not funny. Oh, and the fact that they used a laugh track was pathetic.
I figured they would have plenty of material to work with but they simply dropped the ball (Ed Begley jr.?). I guess they were afraid of pissing off all those hollywood celebrities they are always bitching about. You gotta make sure you can get hired after this show tanks in two weeks.
I chuckled a few times at the t-shirt bit but found it even funnier that they felt the need to explain the jokes to the audience (Bubba don't know who Idi Amin is).
I also found it odd that they would tout this as the "Conservative Daily Show" and then cast a post-op transsexual as the Vice President. Go figure.
My impression? I've seen better chemistry and material on public access cable. They better keep the resumes up to date.
Posted by mg | Feb 19, 2007 1:38:13 AM
BTW, don't forget, this is an ALL NEWS CHANNEL. Bye-bye last shred of credibility.
Posted by mg | Feb 19, 2007 2:12:29 AM
i was slack jawed, not at that it was a conservative show, but that the jokes were SO bad. they had a good idea with obama, then that went on forever.
but really, i dont think there was a current joke in there.
kudos for getting rush, but it wasnt really funny, it was just more of a conservative daydream, maybe somthing to get the crowd warmed up.
the aclu thing could have also been good, but if i remember correctly the aclu also helped out disenfranched black people before 1964.
i could only imagine them going for people so old or so out of touch that the demographic couldve have still been fooled by 1987-1992 producion values.
and the hybrid car joke? isnt that one of the best selling cars in the country? and didnt ford lose 12 billion last quarter?
this is politics first, and humor second.
they need dennis miller and pen gillette...QUICK!
Posted by cminus | Feb 19, 2007 2:32:44 AM
I just saw it....UGH! It was like watching juvenile deliquent teen boys try to be funny by blowing up frogs with firecrackers. It was just sad and disturbing.
Conservatives CAN be funny, but only when their goal is comedy for comedy's sake. It seemed that their goal was to attack liberals and comedy was merely the vehicle. Fox's morning show, "Fox & Friends," is WAY funnier (but that's only because they're trying to be serious. Steve Doocey is a comedy juggernaut!)
Posted by Stephen Schilling | Feb 19, 2007 4:04:24 AM
They've has such a long time to prepare a pilot episode and this is what they came up with?
I watched the entire show without one burst of laughter. I was expecting at least a chuckle, but it was just uninspiring.
The only segments that were merely ok were the ACLU segments. Other than that, there was no substance on any joke, and the delivery was very poor. Not sure if the audience was alive for the entire show.
Unbelievable...Makes you appreciate what Jon and Stephen do that much more.
Posted by bleacherbum | Feb 19, 2007 4:20:54 AM
Revenge of the People's Republic of Berkeley, where the writers came from...
Posted by MadMoll | Feb 19, 2007 7:29:12 AM
Gosh. I liked it. Hope they do a rating-scale on
each of the "first 100 gags" on the Daily Show.
Posted by dick rich | Feb 19, 2007 9:38:52 AM
It reminds me of liberals' talk radio problem. Rush and his ilk are so strong because they've been honing their skills for decades, but liberals thought they could simply launch Air America, put on some liberal yappers, and good radio would be born. Turns out, not so much.
Now, Fox News looks at Jon Stew and Colbert -- whose shows are really sharp and benefit from these guys' years of experience -- and assume conservatives can do the same thing simply by writing some jokes and tossing it on air. Turns out, not so much.
Posted by jason | Feb 19, 2007 9:58:07 AM
I disagree that TDS or TRC is a partisan political strategy. I laugh equally as hard at hillary or kerry jokes as I do bush. They really need to learn from their mistakes and not live in their own delusions of what went wrong.
Posted by GlennBecksATool | Feb 19, 2007 10:18:37 AM
THHNH are the initials for Fox News Channel's news parody show. Sound out the initials and that's the kind of comedy we saw Sunday night.
Thin.
The laugh track was a killer and the anchors as stilted as local news c. 1977. The ACLU jokes were of that era too as was most of the material.
The thing that makes Daily Show and Colbert so great is topicality. There's a staff of real news people along with joke writers to keep stuff fresh. About the two newest things were the series of Hillary jokes and the "BO Magazine" satire. Everything else was really pretty tired, with the same old "Godless liberal" rant.
Even Limbaugh, who can be wildly funny when he wants to be, seemed to be stilted when paired with Ann Coulter in a sort of "Liberals Worst Nightmare" scene. I would recommend they use these types more sparingly as surprise guests like SNL does. If they try to make this a recurring theme, then it will become boring even for conservatives.
This needs some grown-ups, like a Dennis Miller, to strengthen the product and to make it more topical. Otherwise, these guys are going to run out of material pretty quickly since they aren't as aware as, say, a previous poster who mentioned Steve Doocy, whose background is primarily in things like "PM Magazine" but could throw some ad lib bombs in there, even if they don't make their target really well.
Posted by Wahzoo | Feb 19, 2007 12:47:17 PM
I caught Fox's Daily Show parody last night, (don't remember its name, thats how forgettable it was...) the best way i can liken it too is a really bad hang nail that just won't go away.
I literally winced multiple times as this travesty played out on television. It was more of a cross between a Mad-TV skit and an 8th grader doing stand up than it was Daily Show meets Weekend Update.
The humor was so predictable and flat that even the producers couldn't seem to figure out the best place for the laugh tracks. Ugh...
Fox needs to stick with their number one humorous talking head, Sean Hannity... that guys is really funny...in a sort of sad way....
Posted by Sean O. | Feb 19, 2007 12:55:23 PM
I seen the Half-Hour News Hour and I just can't believe that this played out on TV. This show was about as funny as Rush Limbaugh as President. His policies would allow for our country's comedians to bask in pre-prepared material for four or more years of "Commander-in-Chief" Excellence. The only thing that was remotely funny, the BO magazine. It is disappointing that both Jon and Stephen are off this week, because they would have fun with this sick show.
Posted by Jessy Scholl | Feb 19, 2007 3:29:58 PM
This is a show, IMO, for people who find things like the film Epic Movie to be the height of satire. One or two clever bits/lines, but the rest was just bad/boring.
This decades Chevey Chase Show IMO.
Posted by meg | Feb 19, 2007 4:47:38 PM
Oh, I'm so happy I missed Rush and Ann.
A WASP comedy festival for male racist gasbags and female misogynists? Laughing at gas-saving cars, civil liberties, those with mental retardation? It's like a comedy festival starring Scrooge, the Grinch, and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Posted by Anne | Feb 19, 2007 5:56:24 PM
Oh, I'm so happy I missed Rush and Ann.
A WASP comedy festival for male racist gasbags and female misogynists? Laughing at gas-saving cars, civil liberties, those with mental retardation? It's like a comedy festival starring Scrooge, the Grinch, and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Posted by Anne | Feb 19, 2007 5:56:27 PM
It was genius!!! Finally they created a show that turned me 180 degrees and converted me from the self-hating, unpatriotic, heathen Democrat to a self-righteous, all-knowing, God-fearing/loving Publican. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I only caught about ten minutes of it and it was very sad. At least Jon and Stephen point out actual facts hidden under the laughs and skits and EVEN make fun of themselves. Fox refuses to even look inward so of course this show, like all the others, was nothing but a beat-down on the Democratic Party. Nothing constructive, nothing fair, and certainly nothing funny. And if Rush becomes President? Canada will have a huge immigrant problem for sure. Save your half hour (or 22 minutes, ha ha) and watch reruns of the Anna Nicole Show.
Posted by Malissa | Feb 20, 2007 2:38:06 AM
Fox News is more hilarious than 1/2HNH
Posted by | Feb 24, 2007 3:09:06 PM
When is the show going to point out the absurdity of something instead of pointing to what they believe are stereotypes of those on the left. The show lacks humor, it reminds me of the kinds of things you would here in a hometown barber shop, except much more polished.
The show really is not funny, but I am sure Murdoch will continue to fund it no matter what the ratings are, so he can rile up the base and continue that divide.
Posted by Ricky Bones | Feb 24, 2007 5:33:03 PM
Now, you have to understand, I'm a connoisseur of the impressively bad.
I love Turkish Star Wars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymqnlR_3jHU), i'm the proud owner of McDonald's-funded E.T. ripoff Mac and Me, in which an alien must consume Coca-Cola and Skittles to stay alive (see McDonald's birthday party dance sequence here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UrQVvKHEI), and I listened the whole way through to the comedy album by New Jersey butcher Unkie Dunkie (http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/10/unkie_dunkie_th.html), who very well may be the worst stand-up comedian of all time.
By those standards, I do believe that this show is indeed a luminary of bad comedy. It manages to perfectly emulate how unfunny SNL's Weekend Update has been for the last several seasons (with my apologies to the otherwise very funny Amy Poehler). It seemed like a half-assed pastiche of the worst bits of SNL and Jay Leno combined with a crib of the sweeping opening camera shot from Colbert Report thrown in for kicks. The show just couldn't possibly have seemed more forced or unnatural - they're clearly trying too hard, but just can't pull it off. Comedy just isn't funny when it's this calculated to an end, and the jokes? I was sitting there in disbelief that it all would continue like this for half an hour. I never laughed once. There was one part where the female newscaster was just kind of looking at the global warming guy with this "what??" expression on her face. That's how I felt about this whole show.
This isn't a matter of a liberal being pissy about the right getting revenge for the Daily Show or whatever it is that they think that they're doing, I was just watching, and as someone once involved with a humor newspaper, saw a bunch of obvious, unoriginal jokes (wow, a labored running joke leading to someone getting molested in prison) haphazardly attached to partisan bashing. I'd invite any and all to compare this show with the above link to Unkie Dunkie. I think you'll find it a similarly tedious exercise in substandard comedy, also complete with another obvious laugh track. Much like 1/2 News Hour, you'll find that the most amusing parts are where something just feels off about the whole thing, or something startlingly offensive slips in out of nowhere. But in general, much like with Turkish Star Wars, I find myself suffering from badness fatigue -- sure, it's interesting to see comedy/sci-fi/etc. fail spectacularly, but after awhile, you start to yearn for something that's good in the way that it's supposed to be. As everyone's said, there have to be funnier conservatives out there. If Fox can compromise on the social end of politics, there are an awful lot of funny libertarians out there.
Suffice it to say, I felt pretty bad for Dom Irrera.
Posted by Eric | Feb 26, 2007 2:36:03 AM
The links came out screwy on those, so:
Turkish Star Wars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymqnlR_3jHU
Mac and Me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UrQVvKHEI
Unkie Dunkie:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/10/unkie_dunkie_th.html
Posted by Eric | Feb 26, 2007 2:37:36 AM
This is a great idea and this show will be a great success. Please keep them coming!
Posted by Jim Polk | Mar 5, 2007 2:38:09 PM
Backstage at Fox's "half hour news hour" writers' room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARY9ka2o2J4
Posted by kim | Mar 13, 2007 12:45:20 AM
kim: LMFAO
Posted by Barton Fink | Mar 13, 2007 1:04:55 AM
Leaving your liberaIism at the door, I watched the show and I did laugh a few times. The overall qulity was poor, but I remember watching the first Daily Show episodes and guess what? They were pretty bad/hacky as well.
The Daily show was not what it is today. If this show gets time to devlope it could become something.
Posted by Tom | Mar 19, 2007 3:40:47 PM
no coments
Posted by Je-an Tuazon | Sep 18, 2007 1:28:19 AM
i just need to know the name of the short, white guy with thick eyebrows and black hair that started his show with "quit making that noise with your hands" and ended with "finished"
i laughed a lot, but what's his name???
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