Daily Show has been okay. Not great, but okay. Haven't watched Colbert, Kimmel or Fallon in a while. Unfortunately, Oliver is off until mid February. Fortunately, so is Bill "Get Off My Lawn." Maher.
Yeah, Maher was different enough 25 years ago to be (more or less) entertaining. Now he's just a caricature. But I admit he does play the role of asshole quite well, in a well-stocked casting directory of them these days.
Tend to agree. My sense is his devil's advocate or controversy-mongering shtick initially got him noticed. He then cranked it up to assholery in a desperate attempt to cling to some kind of relevancy amidst all the competing noise.
Not watching a lot of TV so hard to comment on that. But generally the problem for me is not despair over the fate of our Republic, rather it’s BTDT. I don’t need or want “Stupid Trump Tricks Round 2,” seen that movie, let’s have something new. Case in point: I must have written two dozen Trump parody songs from 2015 to 2020 … my thinking now is zero for the next administration … again not due to dread but rather the material doesn’t feel fresh.
*wrapping a towel around my head after flushing* Just had two Looooong Discussions about this seriousness thing and how deadly it has been for everyone. I'm in an all-women FB group [honestly the worst offenders] which convos regularly get injected with "Actually, THIS is the problem with what you think is funny." I kid you not, I was nearly lynched for asking a question about a cake. So yeah, cutting loose here is so very appreciated. I also recommend listening to Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais specials.
They aren't at all transphobes, they are making fun of transphobes. But that goes to show you . . . humor has been strangled by those who don't get the joke. I don't mean to be dismissive, but that accusation drives me nuts.
We turned off anything news-related after the election. WWDTM is painful because of course there are quiz questions related to politics.
We had something sort of funny happen in our smallish southwestern town a few weeks ago. A woman went into the grocery store frequented by mostly locals, nicknamed “Hippie (chain name)” —- and came out to find her car engulfed in flames. Caught the grocery store front on fire and melted the sign, which has not been repaired.
She told the firefighters that she had been burning sage in her car but thought she had extinguished it before going indoors.
We live a stone’s throw from the new age vortexes of Sedona, so, you know….
Sorry, this didn’t turn out funny at all. Bystanders had rescued her dogs from the car unharmed, so maybe the lesson is that no matter how badly we screw up, sometimes there are helpers.
I didn’t have it in me to try to come up with humorous hopes for America. That we all become experts on the signs of dementia? That we decide we need to get serious about animal welfare when we realize we’re treating our cattle as bad as we do women? Still too raw, too ‘screedy’ as I’m sure Pat would declare it.
About that business of yours, swishing saliva in time to a song --- it could also be considered a "spit take," just more socially acceptable. Speaking of something else worthy of a rimshot, I note the woman-on-the-street didn't recognize you until you insulted her (in the most amusing way, of course). Some rep you got. A Rickles with hair. As for the reason for the (temporary) absence or abeyance of humor, I think the wrongly, but appropriately, attributed "Yogi Berra" observation, "It's déjà vu all over again," about sums it up for me. A great many of us are still in shock that a plurality (this time) of the rest of us could vote yet again for the very definition of a yutz (you could look it up), among the various "-utzes." Humor always manages to raise its defiant head under the worst of circumstances because it has the rare power to heal, for the moment at least, and it will do so again, soon. I'll bet my um... eccentric...habit of mining for belly button lint and then mindlessly rolling it twixt thumb and forefinger on it. A guilty pleasure those of you with "outies" must unfortunately forgo, although umbilicoplasty is an option.
Let's neologize and call him a "pyutz." Not sure I agree with your pretzel logic. There! Now you know how humanity feels about your continued criming against it. Be ashamed. Be very ashamed. Maybe even abashed. And dana even think about it...
The reason Jimmy Kimmel is the best of the bunch right now is that he assumes that the Trumsters will go after him. The other three (Colbert, Meyers & Fallon) are so deep into worrying that late night TV is dead or at least on life support that they truly fear what may be next. Maybe party of it is CBS & NBC are in Trump’s crosshairs constantly while ABC is (as traditionally it has been) just there. (Though ABC being part of the Disney family is in other right-wingers’ — like DeSantis — sights.) Also, it is hard to make fun of Trump’s cabinet & other high post picks when they are just horrible. You can make fun of someone like Chris Christy or Bill Barr, but Kash Patel or Elon Musk or Linda McMahon? They are just so awful that there is no humor in pointing that out.
I thought that Burr’s monologue was funny and I was surprised at how poorly it was received by the studio audience. Performers feed off of audience energy and there didn’t seem to be any. The firehouse skit with was one of the best in a while, I think.
The only semi-humorous hope for America is that the American Contract Bridge League bans the use of the term "trump," or at least requires that it be spoken only in a whisper.
As a devout bridge player, I can tell you that in any ACBL-sanctioned game, the word about which you write is never formally spoken aloud. Bids are made by pulling cards out of the bidding box. Players are not allowed to talk during the bidding process, and during play of the hand, conversation is strictly limited. There will be, of course, informal opportunities to invoke the word, but the more sensitive and discerning of us will find ways to avoid it...
They are for use in duplicate bridge, which is a bit different from traditional social or "party" bridge. You can see what they look like at this link: https://www.baronbarclay.com/bidding-devices/
We have found John Oliver to be consistently funny in his just pre and his post election shows!
Agreed! I was writing mostly about the nightly shows; Meyers, Colbert, etc.
Oliver is the best.
Daily Show has been okay. Not great, but okay. Haven't watched Colbert, Kimmel or Fallon in a while. Unfortunately, Oliver is off until mid February. Fortunately, so is Bill "Get Off My Lawn." Maher.
Yeah, Maher was different enough 25 years ago to be (more or less) entertaining. Now he's just a caricature. But I admit he does play the role of asshole quite well, in a well-stocked casting directory of them these days.
I think you've got it right. I wonder whether Maher is playing the role of an asshole, or if he has become a typecast asshole. I suspect the latter.
Tend to agree. My sense is his devil's advocate or controversy-mongering shtick initially got him noticed. He then cranked it up to assholery in a desperate attempt to cling to some kind of relevancy amidst all the competing noise.
Not watching a lot of TV so hard to comment on that. But generally the problem for me is not despair over the fate of our Republic, rather it’s BTDT. I don’t need or want “Stupid Trump Tricks Round 2,” seen that movie, let’s have something new. Case in point: I must have written two dozen Trump parody songs from 2015 to 2020 … my thinking now is zero for the next administration … again not due to dread but rather the material doesn’t feel fresh.
*wrapping a towel around my head after flushing* Just had two Looooong Discussions about this seriousness thing and how deadly it has been for everyone. I'm in an all-women FB group [honestly the worst offenders] which convos regularly get injected with "Actually, THIS is the problem with what you think is funny." I kid you not, I was nearly lynched for asking a question about a cake. So yeah, cutting loose here is so very appreciated. I also recommend listening to Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais specials.
Pass. Transphobes.
They aren't at all transphobes, they are making fun of transphobes. But that goes to show you . . . humor has been strangled by those who don't get the joke. I don't mean to be dismissive, but that accusation drives me nuts.
We turned off anything news-related after the election. WWDTM is painful because of course there are quiz questions related to politics.
We had something sort of funny happen in our smallish southwestern town a few weeks ago. A woman went into the grocery store frequented by mostly locals, nicknamed “Hippie (chain name)” —- and came out to find her car engulfed in flames. Caught the grocery store front on fire and melted the sign, which has not been repaired.
She told the firefighters that she had been burning sage in her car but thought she had extinguished it before going indoors.
We live a stone’s throw from the new age vortexes of Sedona, so, you know….
Sorry, this didn’t turn out funny at all. Bystanders had rescued her dogs from the car unharmed, so maybe the lesson is that no matter how badly we screw up, sometimes there are helpers.
I wish YOU would go on Stephen Colbert’s show. America needs you.
I didn’t have it in me to try to come up with humorous hopes for America. That we all become experts on the signs of dementia? That we decide we need to get serious about animal welfare when we realize we’re treating our cattle as bad as we do women? Still too raw, too ‘screedy’ as I’m sure Pat would declare it.
About that business of yours, swishing saliva in time to a song --- it could also be considered a "spit take," just more socially acceptable. Speaking of something else worthy of a rimshot, I note the woman-on-the-street didn't recognize you until you insulted her (in the most amusing way, of course). Some rep you got. A Rickles with hair. As for the reason for the (temporary) absence or abeyance of humor, I think the wrongly, but appropriately, attributed "Yogi Berra" observation, "It's déjà vu all over again," about sums it up for me. A great many of us are still in shock that a plurality (this time) of the rest of us could vote yet again for the very definition of a yutz (you could look it up), among the various "-utzes." Humor always manages to raise its defiant head under the worst of circumstances because it has the rare power to heal, for the moment at least, and it will do so again, soon. I'll bet my um... eccentric...habit of mining for belly button lint and then mindlessly rolling it twixt thumb and forefinger on it. A guilty pleasure those of you with "outies" must unfortunately forgo, although umbilicoplasty is an option.
He's a putz even more than a yutz. The best among the "utzes", of course, are pretzels.
Let's neologize and call him a "pyutz." Not sure I agree with your pretzel logic. There! Now you know how humanity feels about your continued criming against it. Be ashamed. Be very ashamed. Maybe even abashed. And dana even think about it...
Punsters are immune to shame. It comes with the territory.
https://www.utzsnacks.com/collections/pretzels
I enjoy your writing immensely!
“‘You’re Gene Weingarten, aren’t you?’”
Said no one ever.
It gets said in the street a lot. I am very locally recognizable.
Ah, so the neighbors have warned each other.
They've put up signs in my neighborhood about me.
The reason Jimmy Kimmel is the best of the bunch right now is that he assumes that the Trumsters will go after him. The other three (Colbert, Meyers & Fallon) are so deep into worrying that late night TV is dead or at least on life support that they truly fear what may be next. Maybe party of it is CBS & NBC are in Trump’s crosshairs constantly while ABC is (as traditionally it has been) just there. (Though ABC being part of the Disney family is in other right-wingers’ — like DeSantis — sights.) Also, it is hard to make fun of Trump’s cabinet & other high post picks when they are just horrible. You can make fun of someone like Chris Christy or Bill Barr, but Kash Patel or Elon Musk or Linda McMahon? They are just so awful that there is no humor in pointing that out.
I thought that Burr’s monologue was funny and I was surprised at how poorly it was received by the studio audience. Performers feed off of audience energy and there didn’t seem to be any. The firehouse skit with was one of the best in a while, I think.
Agreed on both counts.
I suppose we could look at Dementos nominees this way: Jeffrey Dahmer is dead. Although, considering the circumstances, that may not be disqualifying.
Maybe we can persuade the incoming what we really need is an irony dome.
The only semi-humorous hope for America is that the American Contract Bridge League bans the use of the term "trump," or at least requires that it be spoken only in a whisper.
As a devout bridge player, I can tell you that in any ACBL-sanctioned game, the word about which you write is never formally spoken aloud. Bids are made by pulling cards out of the bidding box. Players are not allowed to talk during the bidding process, and during play of the hand, conversation is strictly limited. There will be, of course, informal opportunities to invoke the word, but the more sensitive and discerning of us will find ways to avoid it...
Fascinating. My grandma and parents played bridge, I've never heard of a bidding box!
They are for use in duplicate bridge, which is a bit different from traditional social or "party" bridge. You can see what they look like at this link: https://www.baronbarclay.com/bidding-devices/
Thank you! Grandma played duplicate, but I never watched her.