Comedy Central Insider Blog

Before They Get Stale: Tina Fey, Max Silvestri and Jason Segel

Gonzalo Cordova — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:30:43 +0000

Max Silvestri traverses the foreign terrain of Twilight, using the Magellans of our modern age, YouTube internet commentators, as his only guide. [Atom]

30 Rock show-runner Robert Carlock talks about Liz and Jack's non-existent romance, "…I don’t think that’s what either of them is looking for. They’ll both find somebody eventually. He’ll give her away at her wedding." [Boston]

Tina Fey on the 30 Rock porno cameo, "They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of 30 Rock. Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy." [NY Post]

Jason Segel sang a song at a The Swell Season concert about wanting to hook up with girls in the audience, and then gave his number. But when I did basically the same thing at my cousin's wedding, it was called desperate and sad. [AV Club]

This interesting profile of Robin Williams reveals the man has many layers. And not all of them are loud and hyperactive! [NY Times]

Community's Donald Glover wants vlogger Sean Crespo to stop saying things that aren't things. [Television Without Pity]

Mike White is writing a movie based on a This America Life episode about two rival mall Santas fighting for power. [/film]

Dustin Hoffman won't be returning for the second sequel in the Meet The Parents franchise, Little Fockers. This is just what killed The Graduate 2: Little Fockers. [Entertainment Weekly]

Ivan Reitman and Eugene Levy talk about Canadian comedy, cutting right to the heart of the matter, "Basically Americans don't know about Canada, I believe, and at the root of it all, I don't think they care much about Canada." [The Star]

This Sunday: Bill Engvall Is Aged and Confused

Matt Tobey — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:30:42 +0000

Bill Engvall has a new stand-up special premiering this Sunday night, and it's all about the life changes he's experienced since turning fifty. I can't imagine what I'll be like when I'm fifty. Mostly because I'm pretty sure I'll be among the first to die in the resistance movement against the machine uprising of 2018.

More clips after the jump. And you can see the whole thing when Bill Engvall: Aged and Confused premieres this Sunday at 9pm / 8c.

Fred Thompson Shocks Fred Thompson by Declaring the War in Afghanistan 'Lost'

comedy central insider — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:10:23 +0000

From Indecision…

You probably don't listen to Fred Thompson's radio show every week — especially now that you're busy reading Going Rogue — so for those who missed it, here's the former D.A. Senator's opinion of the war effort in Afghanistan…

"It really doesn't matter how President Obama divides the Afghan baby, how he splits the difference between McChrystal and Biden. Because the war has been lost," Thompson said on his radio show today.

(Barack Obama has a secret Afghan baby??!!?!??)

Ahem. Now, if Fred Thompson had heard Fred Thompson saying that the war has been lost, Fred Thompson would have been outrageously outraged to an outrageous degree. Because here's what Fred Thompson told Sean Hannity in 2007 when Harry Reid suggested that the war in Iraq had been lost…

I [Fred Thompson] asked [a former Army captain] what she thought about this. She said, "How in the world can anyone, any one of our leaders, declare war, declare that the war has been lost when we've got troops in the field? My friends are over there in the field. I know what they think about this."

And, of course, it's just like all other Americans think. The very idea that they would do this and undercut our efforts over there is unprecedented. And it's not only unprecedented; it's awful politics.

But this is different, you see, in so many ways.

When Fred Thompson tells us that the war in Afghanistan has been lost, he's making a legitimate if controversial criticism of specific decisions being made (or not made) by the Obama administration.

Whereas when Harry Reid did that, he was being a Democrat.

Web Series 5-On Spins Off Into TV Glory or I'm Afraid Of (Ugly) Americans

comedy central insider — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:26:43 +0000

From the Atom blog…

It’s an internet fairy-tale come true! Atom series 5-on has gone old school and spun off into a bonafide TeeVee show! Zombies, demons, and monsters all live mundane, typical lives mingling amongst humans in Ugly Americans (sounds like a trip to my in-laws, HI-OH!). Check out the sneak preview:

Now take a look at the original series by Devin Clark. Dont forget the little people, Devin.
5-On: Demons on the Environment
I guess that Demon Girl had to put on some clothes for prime-time. Tape pasties don’t fly with the FCC.

Stephen Colbert Calls Obama The Meryl Streep of Presidents

Gonzalo Cordova — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:30:37 +0000

Stephen Colbert went on Late Show with David Letterman last night to promote the paperback edition of I Am America (And So Can You!) (now with even more paper!) The best part was when Colbert called Obama the Meryl Streep of Presidents. Does that make Joe Biden the Melanie Griffith of Vice Presidents? Yes, yes it does.

Everywhere You Look, There's a Bob Saget Show To Hold On To

Gonzalo Cordova — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:30:49 +0000

Most people only get to be on one TV series in their lifetimes. If they're lucky, they can parlay that one appearance into a spot on a reality dating or competition-based show. But others amongst us are good enough to become central figures in multiple television series. Bob Saget is such a man. And he didn't even have to eat bugs like the rest of us schmucks.

A&E has greenlit seven episodes of Bob Saget's Strange Days, a nonscripted hourlong skein that will feature the comedian exploring American society off the beaten path.

The quirky travelogue will place Saget with groups that include biker gangs, Amish teenagers, mail-order brides and survivalist cults.

Wait! Survivalist cults?! That sounds dangerous! Even separate from each other, the words "survivalist" and "cult" are scary enough, but together they are very super scary.

Series, announced to be in the pilot stage at the May upfronts, is positioned as a self-immersion extension of Saget's standup act that riffs on offbeat people and their lifestyles while ultimately trying to illuminate what drives their emotions and behavior.

I hope what drives the survivalist cult's emotions and behaviors is the thought of fluffy pillows and sugar-free ice cream.

Stephen Colbert Sings "Cheap Reward" with Elvis Costello

Matt Tobey — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:52:29 +0000

Elvis Costello was Stephen Colbert's guest on last night's Colbert Report. He was on to promote his new talk show and to perform a song. Unfortunately, Elvis lost his voice, so Stephen filled in on vox. That's right, Elvis Costello is a talk show host and Stephen Colbert is a singer. It's just like if I worked in your office and read this blog for a day while you wrote this blog and had sex with models on my motorcycle.

The Colbert Report airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30pm / 10:30c.

Daily Show: Mick Foley Pledges Allegiance to 10-Year-Old Gay Rights Advocate

Matt Tobey — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:57:15 +0000

As you've no doubt heard by now, a brave boy in Arkansas has been refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at school, because gays and lesbians are being denied equal rights. And it should come as no surprise that the boy is being harassed at school. After all, this is Arkansas we're talking about. They get mad if you say we come from monkeys, let alone gay monkeys. Well, from here on, if anyone wants to call William Phillips a gaywad, they'll have to get through wrestler Mick Foley first.

Stephen Colbert's take on Phillips's story can be found below.

The Daily Show and Colbert Report air Monday through Thursday starting at 11pm / 10c.

Brian Williams: Jon Stewart Is Indispensable

Matt Tobey — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:44 +0000

Newsweek has come out with a list of the decade's top "Influencers," and Jon Stewart ranked second. Even better, they let Brian Williams write the accompanying profile, and he said a lot of nice things. Nice things like this:

The old arc of a news story went like this: News happens. Media cover news. Audience reacts, then turns in for the night. For the past several years, however, there’s been another step added to the end of the process: being held to account for our faults by a comedy show with a sharp eye and a sharp tongue. How did we live without it?

You can read the full profile here.

Also of note: Steve Jobs snagged the top spot, and they got Fake Steve Jobs to write about him.

After the jump, you can watch Brian Williams's most recent Daily Show appearance.

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11pm / 10c.

Before They Get Stale: Andy Richter, Eddie Murphy and Jim Gaffigan

Gonzalo Cordova — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:44:38 +0000

Andy Richter speaks surprisingly candidly about the state television comedy, "We just kind of have more stuff where the dad’s kind of a jerk, the mom knows best, and everybody just kind of insults each other for half an hour…" [NY Magazine]

Eddie Murphy is attached to a film with talking animals that is supposed to have some form of social commentary. My guess is that it will be an adaptation of Animal Farm, but instead it will be called Animal Farts. [Risky Business]

A bunch of comics we like made it onto this list of seventeen hot stand-up guys. This is basically the highest honor a stand-up can get, so I guess it's all downhill for them from here. [The Frisky]

Talking about lists of attractive stand-up comedians, Todd Barry made it onto the list of the top ten hottest men to follow on Twitter. Suck it, Johnny Depp! [Smak News]

In a video interview with The Comic's Comic, Marc Maron talks about moving back to LA, his cats and his new outlook on life. [Comic's Comic]

Real Time with Bill Maher got renewed for an eighth season. [Variety]

Remember that Simpsons contest to create a new character? The winner and new character have been announced. The character is a ladies' man named Ricardo Bomba. Poochie must be rolling over in his grave. [TV Squad]

Daily Show producers and writers talk about their role as critics of the media. [Poynter Online]

Jim Gaffigan talks about being known as 'the food guy,' "Every time there's a new bacon-scented envelope, I get 50 e-mails or messages or tweets about it… It's the same whenever there's a new Hot Pocket. … It's very flattering." [Baltimore Sun]