Well, this brings us to the end of Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Standups of All Time. Their Top Twenty consisted of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Cosby, Roseanne Barr, Eddie Murphy, Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres, Don Rickles, […]
It apparently hasn't made the wire services but the great glamour photographer, Pompeo Posar, passed away on April 6. He was quite an artist with the camera…and guys in my age bracket owe him big for all the fine, adolescent fantasies. There's an obit posted over at the Playboy site. [Caution: Mild naked women photos.] […]
The overnight edition of Saturday Night Live that airs early Sunday AM on NBC (3 AM in most timezones) seems to switch back and forth between recent shows and very old ones. This coming Sunday, they're running an episode hosted by Jay Leno — with musical guests, The Neville Brothers — that originally aired February […]
E. J. Dionne Jr. summarizes a basic problem with our Iraq efforts. I agree with this and I suspect most people do, even if some won't admit it during an election year. […]
I am not watching The Apprentice but I know that tonight is the big finale where we find out which of the contestants wins. At 8:21 PM Pacific Time, an Associated Press report appeared at news websites revealing that winner. The final show airs on this coast from 9:00 to 11:00 PM, so the answer […]
I still have no idea what possessed Western Publishing to put out comic books based on The Ed Sullivan Show and 60 Minutes. A variety show and a news show? I can almost see the Sullivan comic as they seem to have been interested in Topo Gigio, the little Italian mouse that appeared routinely on […]
I don't know why I'm so interested in this since it's just a semi-arbitrary list compiled by unknown folks using unknown criteria. Still, I'm following Comedy Central's countdown of The 100 Greatest Standups of All Time. Tonight, they gave us #21-40 which they have as Dennis Miller, Robert Klein, Stephen Wright, Redd Foxx, Bob Hope, […]
Today was the annual Joe Barbera birthday party, which for some reason is never held on Mr. Barbera's birthday, which is March 24. Last year, the party took place on April 9 and the year before, it was March 22. In any case, he was born around 93 years ago (give or take) and as […]
Comedy Central is running a five-part special this week…The 100 Greatest Standups of All Time. Each night, they cover 20 comedians on their list, counting up from the bottom. A group of comics sit around Canter's Delicatessen talking about each comic and there are short clips…and if you can get past the fact that the […]
Today, testifying under oath, C.I.A. director George Tenet said that during the month of August 2001, he did not visit Texas, which is where George W. Bush was vacationing. After his testimony, it was revealed that Tenet was wrong; that he'd gone there on August 17. Others are discussing questions relating to how involved Bush […]
Carol Lay is one of the best, most original cartoonists working today. Over on her website, you can see some of her work and purchase originals, prints and pins. And if you're going to purchase something, this would be a dandy time as Carol is holding a Divorce Sale. So here's your chance to help […]
William Saletan has an analysis of Bush's press conference last evening. I don't agree with all of this but I think it's an interesting way to look at it. This administration does place a high value on saying the same thing over and over, even after the underlying facts change. […]
Here's an article that offers some perspective on the fight by the Simpsons voice cast for better pay. Two things you should always remember about such disputes: One is that the demands and responses are always posturing and exaggeration. If and when they settle, it will be a compromise. Secondly, the money we're talking about […]
Here's the latest on the negotiations for the voice cast of The Simpsons to return for another season. I am wholly on their side on this. What they're asking for is a teensy fraction of what that show is worth. […]
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart continues to be the cleverest show on television. Or at least, I think it is. If you haven't sampled it, you're really doing yourself a disservice. I highly recommend their deconstruction of the Condoleezza Rice testimony, and if you missed it, you can view a portion online. The way […]