Saturday, January 15, 2011

Funny Comedians (Sometimes it's Not An Oxymoron)

A while ago I posted my least favorite comedians list and meant to soon follow it up with an equally long list of my favorites. Well, enough time has passed that I can't even find that first post, haha. But I've had pics of my faves on my desktop for ages now so I suppose it's time to post them here:

First on Saturday Night Live both in weekend update and in weekly skits, it was easy to see that Tina Fey had a knack for biting, witty, timely, sarcastic humor. As the first female head writer on the show she made it a very funny place... a place that hasn't been nearly as funny since she left. So thank goodness we have 30 Rock. It continues to show off Fey's humor and surrounds it with an excellent cast. She has shown that she is not just a great writer but a great performer and actor as well. Her impression of Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential election was pitch perfect. I will see/watch anything Fey writes because I know it will be good. That can't be said about too many comedians in my opinion.

I've been watching Letterman since he moved from NBC to CBS and I've enjoyed his dry wit and intelligence ever since. There is simply no comparison between Letterman's humor and Leno's. It's like night and day. You either enjoy real humor and authenticity (even if Dave can be kranky and curmudgeonly) or fake, pandering humor that falls flat the vast majority of the time. Letterman certainly mellowed and become more political, environmental and sentimental since his son was born and I think it makes him a more genuine person, despite the troubles he's had in his personal life.

Amy Sedaris is probably not as well known a comedian but that is a real shame. Her quirky, hilarious sense of humor certainly runs in the family (her brother David is a well known author) and her appearances on Letterman's show as well as her own TV show (and later, movie, Strangers With Candy) showcase her knack for quick-witted, dry, left field comedy.
Jerri Blank is a blunt, selfish character that isn't at all off-putting thanks to Sedaris' abundant charm. I've had the pleasure of seeing her perform live and she just seems like such a fun, idiosyncratic woman. I can't imagine what spending a day with her would be like. I have the feeling it would be one of the funniest, weirdest days you could ever have. I really wish she were more visible in TVs and movies.

Since Tina Fey left Saturday Night Live there is really only one real reason to keep watching the show and that reason is Kristen Wiig. I clearly remember that first season she was on. We were laughing our asses off at home and wondering why the studio audience wasn't doing the same. It seemed it took a little longer for everyone else to warm up to Wiig's humor but now she is clearly the star of the show. From Penelope to Gilly to The Target Lady to her Lawrence Welk sister, Wiig's characters silly, demented, manic, neurotic and hilarious. And her turn in movie after movie since then has been wonderful too. She's made every movie she's been in better no matter what the size of the role. I have a feeling she has a very serious side too that maybe we'll see more of in the future.

Ricky Gervais is one of those rare comedians that can take incredibly awkward situations and make them truly funny. There is a brand of humor that had risen in the last 10 or so years that is centered around wildly awkward, generally hard to watch moments and in general, I hate that kind of comedy. But he pulls it off for some reason. His TV Extras was terrific and his hosting of the Golden Globes (and his appearances on other awards shows) is usually the comedy highlight of the evening. His laugh in and of itself is genius. I could do without his need to inject his religious views (or lack thereof) into so much of his latest offerings (I get it, you hate God) but I'll gladly take the rest of it!

She's bawdy and rude. She's wickedly mean and offensive. She's crude and insensitive. And she's frickin' hilarious. I'm not particularly big on insult comics. But Lisa Lampanelli is an equal opportunity insulter. Whether it's Blacks, Latinos, Hispanics, skinny bitches, Gays, disabled people... no one is left out. And she is as quick to make fun of herself as anyone else. We saw her live and the room was in stitches. In our PC world, it's just fun to spend an hour or two hearing disgusting, horrible, dirty jokes. It wouldn't be funny if you knew it wasn't all an act. Clearly this woman doesn't really think these things. She's just found a way to make a living off of it and I'm simply not offended. I know some people are (one man in our audience was thrown out for going off on her) but my gosh, life is hard enough. If you can't laugh off the stereotypes and see how silly they really are, then you're just making it that much harder.

I've been a fan of Jane Lynch's long before she was on Glee. I'm just happy she is finally being recognized in a huge way for her sassy, tough, perfectly delivered comedy. Sue Sylvester is the personification of funny. And although Lynch doesn't write her own comedy, her delivery and timing is perfection. No one finds the humanity in such unlikable characters as she does. She's been in excellent movies and she's been in absolute crap, but just like Kristen Wiig, she just elevates any movie that she is in. You want to like her no matter how vicious and mean she is. And that is not only the mark of a great comedian but a great actress (of which she is both).



You know you really do like a comedian specifically when someone else tries to do not only their brand of comedy but actually tries to do comedy written by that comedian and fails. I know I seem to be in the minority, but I can't stand Seinfeld. I didn't find the show funny at all. I think part of the problem for me (besides just not finding Jerry Seinfeld to be funny at all) is that the entire cast was neurotic and paranoid. It was just way too over the top. Why should Larry David succeed where Seinfeld fails? I have no idea, haha. But I do think it's maybe because on his show (as in real life I'm sure) he stands alone more as the paranoid, neurotic one. And one is enough. He is a genius at what he does though. I wanted to hate his show when I first saw it and I ended up loving it.

I don't make a habit of watching The Colbert Report but when I do I always enjoy it. Steven Colbert is just so highly likable, even as a conservative, pompous ass. Even the simple gesture of running to meet his guests and taking in the applause for himself is hilarious. He's certainly been funny for years before this show (of course on The Daily Show but also on Strangers With Candy. His authenticity and likability shines through regardless of how empty and self-serving his characters are supposed to be. He, perhaps the most of any of these comedians listed, is probably least like his TV persona. But I think that is what makes his comedy work so well. You know he's a great guy so it's more fun to see him try not to be.

Posted by soft rock star at 1:26 PM