Tuesday's Daily Show with Jon Stewart brought a pressing and shocking concern to my eyes, something the American people as a whole have largely ignored: the ridiculous ad for the Shake Weight.
Most exercise infomercials are already crazy and unintentionally hilarious in and of themselves, but this ad deserves the Mark Twain Prize.
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The Shake Weight is either the most erotic or hilarious exercise ad ever
Comedy Central fans would take a bullet for their network
We often hear the phrase "die hard fan," but who is actually willing to "die hard" for the thing they care most about? If you believe in statistics, that honor would go to fans of Comedy Central.
A recent study conducted by a research group found that fans of the long-running cable network have the most dedicated fan base. Plus, those polled think people who watch The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are "cool." Are the kids these days still saying "cool"? My, where has all the time gone?
Continue reading Comedy Central fans would take a bullet for their network
Fox & Friends call shenanigans on Obama...for his beer choice?!?
Morning news shows are a goldmine of cringe-inducing moments and epic fail goodness. The title alone makes me laugh because only half of it is accurate due to the fact that it airs in the morning. By far the unintentionally funniest show is that morning cup of crazy on Fox News, Fox and Friends. They truly cover news stories that no one else does as their on-air promos suggest because no one in their right mind would consider it news. I'm finally starting to understand Walter Cronkite's distrust of the 24-hour news network model: you'll call anything news to fill time.
Hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade actually took President Barack Obama to task for ordering a Budweiser instead of an American-brewed beer during his recent "Beer Summit" with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley.
Continue reading Fox & Friends call shenanigans on Obama...for his beer choice?!?
Blame Jon Stewart's trustiness on the news media clusterf#*$
Walter Cronkite is a tougher act to follow than letting Metallica open for William Hung. But now that the news legend and former most trusted man in America has passed on to that big newsroom in the great beyond, America needs someone else to trust. They need someone they can depend on to get the hard, cold facts about the important stories that truly affect their lives. They need someone to cut through the political haze of misdirection and mediocrity that cloud almost every major news story like a lingering beer fart.
That man is ... Jon Stewart. Don't like it? Blame the rest of the news media for not doing a better job.
Continue reading Blame Jon Stewart's trustiness on the news media clusterf#*$
Remember the good times we had with (at) Michael Jackson('s expense)?
A lot of memories have surfaced of the good times that pop icon and musical genius Michael Jackson provided the world in the wake of his untimely and unfortunate death. However, an elephant in the room has wedged its wide butt in between the happy memories that range from "Billy Jean" to "Rockin' Robin," other than the eye-bleedingly bad Moonwalker movie.
Jackson's life outside of the recording studio and in the blood-soaked pages of the supermarket tabloids provided a lot of fodder for comedies and comedians that turned the man into a punchline just as fast as the radio waves turned him into a legend.
Continue reading Remember the good times we had with (at) Michael Jackson('s expense)?
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
NBC isn't exactly engendering a lot of goodwill among people, with their cancellations of shows like Life and Medium, and My Name is Earl. The fact that they're replacing these shows with not one but two medical shows, isn't exactly a confidence booster. NBC hasn't sent screeners of all their pilots yet, hence the "Part 1" in the title. But I have gotten a taste of both their comedy and drama offerings with Community, a comedy starring The Soup's Joel McHale, and Trauma, one of the aforementioned medical dramas.Going into this, I didn't have high hopes for Trauma, and while I wanted to like Community, I had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be the vehicle that would change Joel McHale from cute host of a basic cable show to primetime star. Now, after seeing both of them, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by one.
Continue reading TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
White House officially afraid of The Daily Show
All of you right-wingers who thought that The Daily Show was going to become just another tool in a liberal executive branch's belt should take note of the following story.
And if having to read a newspaper other than The Washington Times, The New York Post or The Daily American Patriot Commie Basher makes your eyes bleed, grab your Visine and suck it up. You need to read this.
An attorney for the state said the Obama administration did not want to release detail of an interview with former VP Dick Cheney regarding the Valerie Plame leak because of fears that "it's going to end up on The Daily Show."
Continue reading White House officially afraid of The Daily Show
Why hasn't John Hodgman scored his own show?
Uber-humorist John Hodgman has a wit that hasn't been seen since the likes of Robert Benchley. His uncanny ability to turn his know-it-all prowess and droll delivery into brilliant comedy deserves scientific study. I'm not saying he needs a complete autopsy. Maybe just a little exploratory brain surgery that doesn't do any permanent damage to the neurons and synapses that allow him to conjure long lists of hobo names and an incredibly detailed history of the American lobster. Trust me, there is a hilarious global warming cure in that noggin somewhere.
So after watching his brilliant and funny performance at the White House Radio and Television Correspondence Dinner (Speaking of which, didn't we just have one? How many of these damn dinners do they need? Are television reporters experiencing a major shortage of grilled chicken?), a lingering but obvious thought occurred. Why does this man not have his own television show?
Continue reading Why hasn't John Hodgman scored his own show?
Daily Show's Jason Jones brings more fake news to the Middle East
Stephen Colbert may have made big news recently when he took his show on the road for a second time and performed for the troops in Iraq, but don't forget the other guy bringing fake news to the Middle East! Daily Show has been airing correspondent Jason Jones's reports from Iran, which were taped over the past month or so. Check out how many pockets are on that vest. He clearly means journalistic business.
Continue reading Daily Show's Jason Jones brings more fake news to the Middle East
Josh Gad: In the Limelight
Time to meet the newest member of the Daily Show team, Mr. Josh Gad. That picture to the right is him, furiously staring into your soul and preparing to pump you full of lead/laughter. He debuted back in early May and filed his first report just this week. Both of his appearances involved guns, so I guess if TDS's team were a traditional mid-90s boy band, he'd be the trigger-happy one of the group.Those of you who watched the short-lived Back To You may recognize Gad as Ryan Church, the news director. A few episodes are on Hulu, American readers, with the first episode embedded after the jump for your Internet-laziness/convenience.
Continue reading Josh Gad: In the Limelight
Stephen Colbert to guest edit Newsweek
The New York Observer is reporting that Stephen Colbert will guest edit the June 8 edition of Newsweek. According to the Observer, the idea came from a lunch between Newsweek editor Jon Meacham (who has been a guest on The Colbert Report) and Colbert, in which Meacham was impressed by Colbert's knowledge of current events. The stories themselves will be treated seriously, as they would in any other issue, but Colbert gets to play in the margins, editing contributor bios, writing an essay, and annotating different stories. Which should make next week's issue look something like the magazine version of The Daily Show's faux text book America.
The Observer quotes Colbert as saying, "I'm confident we'll have mixed results! I want to be apart [sic] of that proud tradition!" and cites a few other guest editor ventures gone wrong. I wonder about the timing of it. Newsweek launched a complete redesign three issues ago, trying to re-conceptualize the newsweekly's place in the age of instant news.
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Non-breaking news: Larry King embellishes his stories!
Anyone who's seen or heard Larry King over the last quarter-century or so (which includes just about everyone who has cable TV) knows that he's been known to tell tales of his life that are, to put it charitably, less than true. Big surprise from a guy who's been married seven times and pleaded no contest to passing bad checks in the early Seventies, right?Anyway, with the release of King's new book, which is full of stories from his past, it seems like it's again time for journalists to point out that -- gasp! -- King makes some of his stories up. Jack Shafer in Slate, for instance, has decided to bring up King's claims that he knew Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax when the two of them were growing up in Brooklyn, a story that even Shafer acknowledges was refuted by Koufax himself... way back in 1991.
Continue reading Non-breaking news: Larry King embellishes his stories!
Will Cramer have his revenge on Stewart?
If you thought the celebrity driven feud between The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and Mad Money host Jim Cramer was over, get ready to sigh a big breath of "Oh holy crap, here we go again." That's if you completely believe the quote that the New York Post's Page Six gossip column picked out of an upcoming Time Magazine interview with the CNBC host without reading it in its proper context. So take it with a Lot's wife-sized grain of salt, and if you do automatically believe it, I've got an investment scheme that you might want to get in on.
The newspaper claims that Cramer is biding his time and that Stewart will "answer" for his vicious showdown on Stewart's show.
Continue reading Will Cramer have his revenge on Stewart?
The History Channel taps Jon Stewart and Lewis Black for specials
The History Channel has gained the nickname "The Hitler Channel" among some I know for its constant airing of World War II specials (many of featuring, well, Hitler). Perhaps they were thinking of that reputation when they put together their new slate of specials, which, according to Broadcasting & Cable, includes specials hosted by Jon Stewart and Lewis Black of The Daily Show. Stewart will be given two hours with which to target the immigration issue in a special called The Naturalized. Considering the current economic implications of immigration and its role in last year's presidential campaign, there should be plenty for Stewart to work with to keep the special current. Stewart has already begun work on it, according to B&C. The special will follow eight people on the track to becoming U.S. citizens. the special will air in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Continue reading The History Channel taps Jon Stewart and Lewis Black for specials
Jeff Zucker fires back at Jon Stewart
NBC head honcho Jeff Zucker is apparently getting himself involved in the war of the words between CNBC and Jon Stewart. He called Stewart's criticism of the network "absurd" and "unfair."I hate to admit it, but I actually agree with Zucker to a point. CNBC's reputation did take a beating from this recession, and I wonder if they did hardball the executives like Stewart said they should, the companies could have cut off access and made reporting that much more difficult. I'm not saying CNBC was right in what they did. I'm simply saying that I somewhat understand why.
It's easy for someone like Stewart to call them out on this sort of thing. Being on a network called Comedy Central, most newscasters relegate him to the position of "cable clown." The Daily Show doesn't actually investigate news, unlike CNBC. It does something more akin to a half-hour opinion column based on the work of other news programs.
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