Writing Comedy

The “Bitch is the new black!” saying from Tina Fey on an SNL News Update where she’s talking about Hillary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DJbUhyhxv8), is one of the latest catchphrases that I'm lovin'! The whole thing is funny but the gist is (and yes, I’m quoting):

“…Hillary is a Bitch. Let me say something about that. Yeah, she IS. And so am I. And so is this one (pointing to Amy Poehler who says “Yeah, deal with it!”). You know what? Bitches get stuff done. That’s why Catholics schools use nuns as teachers and not priests. Those nuns are mean old clams and they sleep on cots and they’re allowed to hit you. And at the end of the school year, you HATED those bitches but you KNEW the capitol of Vermont. So I’m saying it’s not too late Texas and Ohio, get on board! Bitch is the new black!” (I'm not here to talk politics and though I don’t agree with the Hillary rhetoric, I do like “Bitch is the new black!”)

The links I've added below are about Jimmy Kimmel, Matt Damon and Sarah Silverman. Basically, the joke is how Jimmy always bumps Matt Damon at the end of his show saying they ran out of time. It’s a joke because even though they don’t even have him scheduled Jimmy ends his show a LOT by using the whole “we ran out of time, sorry Matt Damon” thing. The first link is a montage of clips showing Jimmy apologizing to Matt about bumping him, then introducing Matt and having him come out. But just as the audience settles down and you think he’s going to start the interview, he apologizes and Matt says “F*&*% you” and then as the closing credits are playing Matt is on a tirade seasoned with expletives and ripping Jimmy a new one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PZNfOZXPJk&feature=related

So then Sarah Silverman (Jimmy’s real-life girlfriend of the past 5 years) coming on and talking about how she’s been wanting to talk to Jimmy about something and has wanted to for a long time but she’s never gotten the chance. And she goes on and finally says “roll the clip” and it’s a video of her singing a song she wrote called “I’m F'ing Matt Damon” and Matt’s in it. It’s hysterical, and a great continuation to a long-running inside joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLG3S5WzHig

The last bit is Jimmy’s response and his star-studded (I mean EVERONE is in this thing, Brad Pitt as a FedEx guy and then they do a whole Band-Aid kinda thing with tons of stars), and he presents it as “I always thought it was a good-humored joke about Matt…” and “If you take something I love, I’m gonna take something YOU love right back” kinda thing….so he shows his video of “I’m F'ing Ben Affleck”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIQrBouWRiE&feature=related

Now I sit here sharing it all of it with you and wishing I could write comedy that easily.

I’ve always appreciated humor of all sorts. In fact, one of my all-time favorites is the Abbott and Costello bit “Who’s on First?” To take a simple idea and mold it into a great comedy sketch or bit for stand-up is major brilliance to me. I’ve always wished I had the nerve to do stand-up, but moreover I wish I had the talent to write the comedy. The timing and style can be perfected, but the talent still has to be there. I enjoy making people laugh and so I can understand why people do it. I love watching comedians do their shtick and I'm almost clinical about it sometimes. If they can discuss politics, history, science or even just the mundane within their act, things I don't particularly spend a lot of free time thinking about, and still get me to laugh, I'm a fan. Luckily, I've been introduced to a lot of British, Irish, and Scottish comedians I wouldn't have known about otherwise and have enjoyed sharing pieces from Eddie Izzard, Ricky Gervais (who has become just as well know in the States as in the UK), Lee Mack, Dara O'Briain, Lee Evans, Peter Kay, and on and on...if you haven't seen their work, search it out!

Anyway, I love a good belly laugh, so if you've got one to share, please do so. Laughter really is the best medicine and I'm always looking for a good dose!