TVSquad

(S03E14) "I bet you wish you had more than one God now, eh?" - Ravi Kapoor as Earl's doctor

Boy, that Jeff Zucker is one hell of an actor, isn't he?

Generally, I love it when a high-paid executive is willing to make fun of himself for his company. Case in point; when Les Moonves talks to Dave Letterman on the phone I think it's hilarious. The key, however is that the executive in question has to be able to effectively deliver a joke. I think My Name is Earl missed an opportunity for some real nice comedy. Too bad Jerry Seinfeld didn't have another movie to promote.

Just last night, a fan named Kevin sent me this query...

"What actor/actress has received the most money for a sitcom syndication deal?"

Well, the short answer is Jerry Seinfeld. The long answer has all the details.

• The writer's strike officially began today, complete with picketing and a giant rat.
  
• Sabrina Bryan admits that she and her dance partner Mark fell for each other on Dancing with the Stars.
  
• Jerry Seinfeld says it's too late for his plans to write a reunion episode of Seinfeld.
  

• Good Morning America's Robin Roberts had surgery yesterday and is already home.
• Now Trump says he never offered Rosie money to be on Celebrity Apprentice. Whatever.
• A clip from an old IFC show called Split Screen, where Christopher Walken teaches you how to cook.
• Jerry Seinfeld's secret to productivity.
• Henry Rollins on freedom and the web.
• Brian Williams and Katie Couric blog about the Minneapolis bridge collapse.
• Matt Roush on the cancellation of The Dresden Files.

Deal or No Deal is moving to Friday night at 8, providing a nice lead in for critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas, which has Tom Selleck joining its cast.

Isaiah Washington is going to join The Bionic Woman. He'll be in five of the first eight shows.

Question: is it OK to joke about rape when you're talking about insects?

That's what some people are wondering this afternoon as Jerry Seinfeld is getting a little heat from anti-rape groups (hmmm...I would hope that every group is anti-rape, but I digress...) for a remark he made to the New York Daily News promoting his Bee Movie flick:

"Bees have the only perfect society on earth ... They have no crime, they have no drugs, they have no rape. A little rape, but it's not that bad."

• They found Scotty! Better late than never, James Doohan's ashes were finally located.
• Rachel Ray is asking for people to participate in the Great American Bake Sale. For starving kids (riiiight.)
  
• The value of a television commercial is changing, since we can just skip them if we want to now. Minisodes might change that.
  

As you know, Jerry Seinfeld recently received the Comedian Award. If you're wondering just how much awards, award ceremonies, and the pageantry that surrounds them means to Mr. Seinfeld, allow me to direct you to the hilarious clip below from the HBO special (via Best Week Ever). I about lost it after his "senators from Krypton remark."

I have to say that Seinfeld echoes my exact sentiments. I haven't sat down and watched the Oscars, Emmys or the Golden Globes in many, many years. I think the last award ceremony that I found even remotely interesting was the Pinewood Derby Awards in 1987, and that's only because I was a participant (and by the way, Boy Scout Troop 141: those weight restrictions are there for a reason. I lost against a car that was clearly over the legal limit).

In all honesty, I'm glad Seinfeld won the Comedian Award, because I really can't take any professional seriously unless they've been given some kind of engraved tchotchke for their efforts. That's why I currently have eleven cavities and am searching for a dentist who has won the Best Dentist Award. Otherwise, why bother?

Let's say you're Jerry Seinfeld. Yes, I know you're really not Jerry, but just pretend that you are for this little exercise. Okay, you're Jerry: you've had a successful career both as a stand-up comedian and sitcom star. Your show, Seinfeld, is still hugely popular in syndication and on DVD. The world is pretty much your oyster. So, what do you do to follow it up?

You dress as a bee for the trailer of an upcoming animated movie. All right, you lend your voice to the main character in the animated movie, but you still dress up as a bee. The film is actually DreamWorks Bee Movie, which stars Jerry as Barry Bee Benson. In the trailer Jerry, dressed in full bee attire, gets blown away by fans, washed away by hoses, and nearly killed by a large pair of windshield wipers. No, I am not in a drunken haze after too many rum punches! This is the trailer I saw in the movie theater.

Of course, courtesy of the film's website and YouTube you can see the trailer too. Also featured is Chris Rock, who is doing a favor for Jerry in exchange for Seinfeld appearing at book signing for Rock's wife. Hmm, the trailer must've been done before Rock's divorce. Anyhoo, you can view the trailer after the jump. (BTW, for a more detailed information on the Bee Movie turn to our sister site Cinematical)

One forgotten victim in this whole "Michael Richards goes nuts and screams racist remarks" controversy just might be Kenny Kramer, the real-life guy who was the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character on Seinfeld. While it's great to have the fake Kramer be associated with the real Kramer during good times, it can be sort of disconcerting if people start to associate the real Kramer with the fake one when things are bad.

Kramer (the real one) is upset that news outlets such as The Drudge Report and Michael Savage are saying "Kramer's a racist." Personally, I don't see how the two could possibly be confused. I mean, to be honest, do people really even think of the real Kramer that much? I don't think the news outlet's are saying "Kramer's a racist" to confuse anyone, and I don't think it's misleading. They're using the last name because it's the name of one of the most famous (and beloved) characters in TV history.

Richards went on Jesse Jackson's radio show over the weekend to explain himself, apologize, and to begin the "healing." In a related story, the character of Kramer will now be edited out of all the Seinfeld episodes he appears in.

We told you earlier about Michael Richards' racial outburst at a comedy club over the weekend, and it was unfortunate timing, since Jerry Seinfeld was going to be on Letterman tonight and the 7th season DVD set was coming out tomorrow. But now comes word that Richards will actually appear on the show during Seinfeld's segment, via satellite, to explain his side of the story.

Defamer has the details, including a report from someone who was at the taping of the show, which airs on CBS at 11:35.

I guess you could say that it's a spoiler, since you read what Richards is going to say, but I'm sure it's still worth watching.

That was quite an impressive lineup of comics on Comedy Central last night, eh? The Night of Too Many Stars was a benefit for autism charities that attracted the likes of Jon Stewart (who hosted), Steve Carell, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Jerry Seinfeld, Borat, Will Ferrell, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, and many others.

CCInsider (that's the Comedy Central site for video and other content) has some great clips of the event, including Cross and Odenkirk's banter about American Idol-type shows, Triumph singing about people like Star Jones and Kathie Lee Gifford, Ricky Gervais' routine about not doing enough for charity, and Jimmy Fallon impersonating Bee Gee Barry Gibb during the auction part of the show.

OK, so I'm not really sure what's up with Fallon's Gibb impersonation. Does Gibb really dance and do karate moves like that?

[via Best Week Ever]