Okay, I just have to register this comment. If you were watching, last week Ryan Hamilton got eliminated from the running on Last Comic Standing.
I know judging humor's a very subjective thing, but I'm really sick of comedians whose whole schtick depends on their appearance, and a lot of those who did make it to the next round were that kind of comedian. Large guy who does nothing but fat jokes. Unattractive female who does nothing but spinster-with-cat jokes. Attractive female who does nothing but I'm-so-hot jokes. Guy with southern accent who does nothing but hick jokes. And of course the gorilla mask guy doing gorilla jokes (though he was eliminated awhile back).
First of all, it's lazy. Second of all, it gets old really fast -- you wonder how you'd endure a 15-minute set in a comedy club with one of these people. And third of all, it's more depressing than funny in a lot of cases. That's why I loathed Chris Farley's humor. It was ALL centered around his fatness and stupidness and crippling insecurity and I felt that laughing at such stuff was just a hair's breadth away from your basic cruel-mob-mocking-the-village-dimwit-in-the-town-square. And then of course his sad demise just cemented this for me.
So anyway, I'd like to propose that in future seasons of that show, they award extra points for comedians who don't rely on a single obvious theme for all their laughs. And gorilla masks -- ban 'em.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Gorilla in the room.
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9 comments:
Humor is a tough business. I mean, most of it isn't funny anyway.
And though I agree with you in principle, I cannot condemn Chris Farley. I have a soft spot for him. Who I can't stand is JIMMY KIMMEL. He must die. I can never forgive him for "The Man Show." And Tom Green (his humor is based on making other people look stupid), and (shudder) Jim Carrey, who bases his on "weird is funny."
Doesn't anybody like a good old-fashioned joke anymore? How about a pun? I so enjoy them...
I do love Mo Rocca and Steve Carell though. At least they bother to make a joke now and then, instead of just mugging in front of the camera.
I totally agree about Tom Green. And Steve Carell is brilliant. Jim Carrey has grown on me, but more in his half-funny roles, like Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine.
I also like goofy jokes and puns. So does Sharon. Here's her all-time favorite:
Why is turtle wax so expensive?
Because their ears are so small!
And here's one I got at the Shakespearean Festival Greenshow.
What's Irish and stays out all night?
Patio furniture.
I am so easily amused.
Ha!
It's so true about the winners of that show. Especially the fat dude. Aren't fat jokes old by now?
I have to also say Jim Carrey has a special place in my heart -Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorite movies ever. But of course, I also remember Fire Marshall Bill, and you've gotta hand it to a guy who can contort his face for that amount of time.
I will now and forever love Chris Farley. He may have made fat jokes about himself, but his timing, his grace, good nature, and willingness to BE the joke made him so loveable and hilarious.
And Ryan Hamilton did make fun of his own appearance, too. He did it in at least two rounds of LCS and in the video clip you had on your blog. Just saying. If it works, if it gets a laugh, then that's what drives comedians. Physical appearances will always be funny.
The kind of comedy I find annoying is when comedians try to use a catch-phrase. "Git R Done" is the bane of my existence. It instantly sends homocidal thoughts to my poor brain.
Amen, daughter!
The only "vintage" Jim Carrey I've liked was The Mask. Didn't see Ace Ventura or Dumb and Dumber, but I'm quite sure I wouldn't have enjoyed them, based on the bits of In Living Color I"d caught over the years. I do admire the face contortion abilities, just not the unflagging idiocy and vulgarity.
As for April's point, I do believe that all humor originates in human pain, so I guess if I view Chris Farley in that light, he's just being more up front about the source of the pain that fuels his humor. And do I think he preferred being an insecure dude who made millions of people laugh to being just a normal insecure dude? Absolutely. I just could never shake the feeling that he went home after every taping of SNL and cried into his pillow. It's probably my over-vivid imagination playing tricks on me. However, I saw Tommy Boy once and I have to say that I do love the "pretty little pet" bit. And if he actually wrote that bit himself, then I need to track down his ghost and apologize to it. As for Ryan -- you're right about him talking about his apperance. I don't mind such jokes as long as they're just a sort of start-with-the-obvious ice-breaker sort of joke and not the main theme. But it was funny on one episode when the judges said how sick they were of comedians doing "I look like the love child of..." jokes, and the very next thing you see is Ryan doing the Jerry and Elaine joke. And yet he still made the cut. Oops. Bad editing!
Dad -- Well done. Watch for the check in the mail.
Marie, even *I* have watched Ace Ventura. Are you serious?
Oh my WORD -- they must have doped you up or tied you down.
Or both?
I can't picture you enduring more than the opening credits.
Yes, I"m serious. Seriously nasty stuff, that is. I've seen clips. I know.
I never did get the gorilla guy. I couldn't figure out why they thought he was so funny.
And I prefer Jim Carey in his more serious roles. Anyone seen "The Majestic"? Although I guess I'm one of the few people who found "The Grinch" hysterical.
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