Posts with tag the state
Posted Aug 14th 2008 12:15PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Casting, Reality-Free
Comedy Central is giving some alumni of
Stella and
The State another crack at a show. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter
will be the co-stars of the half-hour pilot Michael and Michael Have issues.
The premise is a show-within-a-show, with segments from the stars addressing issues that the Michaels have with "themselves, each other and the world at large."
I missed
The State, but I did catch episodes of
Stella (also starring David Wain), which was another attempt by the same comedians to create a show that blurred the line between reality and fantasy (such as having character with their actual names. You know, the old Jerry Seinfeld trick).
I liked
Stella, but didn't think it would last more than a season (and it didn't) because the humor is very abstract and cerebral (sort of the anti-
According To Jim). My gut instinct is the same for this show even though I want it to succeed. Is it better to have a good show that lasts one season or a mediocre-at-best show that lasts eight? I vote for the former.
Posted Jul 2nd 2008 6:28PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Casting
Comedy Central is presenting it's first unscripted series this summer called
Reality Bites Back. Ten comedians will compete by making parodies of the most infamous reality shows. Whoever makes it to the end will win $50,000 in cash and the title "Lord of All Reality." And guess who's hosting? Michael. Ian. Black. The former
State cast member will get to explain the absurd challenges and kick someone off the show each week.
Comedian contestants include Kyle Cease, Chris Fairbanks, Jeff Garcia, Red Grant, Tiffany Haddish, Bert Kreischer, Mo Mandel, Donnell Rawlings, Amy Schumer, and Theo Von. The series will satirize shows like
American Idol,
Survivor,
The Amazing Race,
The Biggest Loser,
American Gladiators,
Dancing with the Stars, and
So You Think You Can Dance.
Continue reading Comedy Central gets real
Posted May 22nd 2008 7:58PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Interviews, Celebrities, Reality-Free
"Don't get high on your own supply." --Thomas Lennon on how he doesn't have basic cable.
Thomas Lennon, the star and co-creator of Comedy Central's
Reno 911!, got to together with
Mahalo's Lon Harris to talk about basic cable, the how it's not gay to love Sting in
Dune, Christopher Walken's answering machine, and
Falcon Crest. He also dishes about the finale of
Reno 911! (currently in its fifth season), the
Upright Citizens Brigade, and
Balls of Fury. Oh, and he might mention something about
The State reunion.
Fans of Thomas Lennon and all things
Reno 911! will enjoy this interview. Lennon is genius! The video is after the jump.
Continue reading Thomas Lennon talks about the fifth season of Reno 911! - VIDEO
Posted May 24th 2007 12:01PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Music and Variety, Celebrities
Thomas Lennon, currently of the Comedy Central series Reno 911! and formerly of MTV's cult sketch series The State, was on the podcast Guys with Feelings recently to discuss all things Thomas Lennon. The podcast is a lot of fun, but to just hear the Tom Lennon portion, skip ahead to about 1 hour and 19 minutes.
Lennon talked about the upcoming ping-pong movie he wrote with Ben Garrant called Balls of Fury (trailer below), and about the fifth season of Reno 911! that just wrapped taping (also, he wishes his character, Jim Dangle, didn't have to wear those tiny shorts).
Continue reading Will The State reunite? Quite possibly - VIDEO
Posted Jan 23rd 2007 12:30PM by Julia Ward
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Web, Celebrities, Comedy Central
Former
Stella and
State alum Michael Showalter and David Wain have been making entertainment news these past couple of weeks. Showalter debuted his online series
The Michael Showalter Showalter on College Humor with
Comedian of Comedy Zach Galifianakis as his guest. (If you live in LA, you can catch Zach
free tonight at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater with VH1 talking head Doug Benson.)
David Wain debuted his latest directorial outing
The Ten at Sundance. The feature, which sounds like Kieslowski's
Decalogue gone zany, puts together ten shorts - each musing on one of the ten commandments. The screening has been getting
positive reviews. Those of us without Park City press passes will hopefully be enjoying that film later this year. Keep your eye on
The Ten's website for more info.
Posted Jan 4th 2007 8:35AM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Web, Celebrities, MTV
Kittenpants over at CC Insider found a video on YouTube of one of my favorite sketches from MTV's The State, a gritty drama edited for television that kind of loses something without all the cursing. There's just nothing especially menacing about the word "poop," no matter how much anger and passion you put into it.
Continue reading The State vs. Mr. Show - VIDEO
Posted Dec 15th 2006 5:25PM by Julia Ward
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Industry, Comedy Central, Pickups and Renewals
Another
State member makes good. Like Michael Ian Black, David Wain, Thomas Lennon and Michael Showalter before him, former sketch comedy troupe member Ken Marino has signed a pilot deal with Comedy Central.
Marino, who has been guesting on
Reno 911 and
Veronica Mars as of late, has signed to create
Out of Bounds, a behind-the-scenes workplace comedy. The setting - a Long Island sports radio show. Marino will portray one of the hosts of "Ball Talk" - a small market show with big time aspirations. The funny comes from the hosts' extreme publicity stunts and interviews between an in-character Marino and the not-in-character star athlete guests.
Continue reading Comedy Central orders up Out of Bounds
Posted Nov 8th 2006 11:31AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, TV on the Bigscreen, Comedy Central, Reno 911!
Those of you who saw
Borat last weekend probably also saw the incredibly hilarious trailer for the
Reno 911! movie, called
Reno 911: Miami. In the film, the team goes to Miami for a law enforcement convention and then ends up taking over for the Miami PD. From Dangle's short shorts to Wiegel's trash-talking on the beach... you're gonna love it. Plus, the whole cast of MTV's
The State makes an appearance. The trailer is now up exclusively
on Australian Yahoo! and it plays kinda crappy on a Mac (where's the love, y'all?).
I'm getting conflicting reports about when it will be released:
Wikipedia says it's February 23rd, but
Whitney at USA Today says it's not until May 10. Unfortunately, the
Reno 911! fan site hasn't been updated in a year so it was no help. If you know a release date, put it in the comments!
*Update: Thanks, Whitney! The movie comes out in the states on February 23rd.
Posted Sep 26th 2006 3:42PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Web, MTV
I have never bought a television show from iTunes... until now. MTV's sketch comedy show
The State is now for sale only on iTunes (it's not even on DVD).
The State aired on MTV from 1993-1995. It was both weird and hilarious. The network essentially gave a bunch of college graduates free reign over their own show. It gave some of my favorite comedy actors their start, including Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Kerri Kenney and Thomas Lennon.
Season one is currently for sale, and it includes characters Doug, Louie, Barry & Levon... and $240 worth of pudding. According to
The State website, run by David Wain, MTV will release subsequent seasons if downloads are popular and the network may even decide to put the damn show on DVD already.
[Via
Pop Candy]
Posted Sep 13th 2006 2:34PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Web, Celebrities, Reno 911!
Sorry, I know Comic-Con has come and gone and we've all gone back to our boring, mundane lives, but I just found this great clip featuring Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon of
Reno 911! and
The State talking about their upcoming ping-pong movie,
Balls of Fury. In the midst of a Q and A, a man approaches the mic and begins to chastise the two actors for daring to mock the game of ping-pong. I'm not positive, because it's difficult to get a clear look at the man's face, but I believe it's comedian Chris Tallman, perhaps most recognizable as the host of Comedy Central's short-lived series
Crossballs. But then, I could be wrong. Anyway, check out the video and see how real men handle hecklers:
Continue reading Unleash the Balls of Fury
Posted Sep 1st 2006 10:40AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Talent, Celebrities
The former Ed and Stella star is an editor-at-large at the new relaunced Cracked mag, which is going for the hearts and minds of twentysomething guys and not the kids. Mediabistro talked to Black about Stella, how he got the Cracked gig, and what the status is on a State movie (hint: it has something to do with iTunes).
They don't ask him about his appearances on Celebrity Poker Showdown though, which is too bad, since he's been one of the better players on the show. But I guess there's really not much you can ask about that. "So, you're a good poker player, eh?" or "Boy, such-and-such is really a moron, aren't they?"
Posted Jul 26th 2006 1:32PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Cable, TV on DVD, MTV, Reno 911!
Thomas Lennon and Ben Garrant from Reno 911! attended Comic-Con to promote their upcoming film, Balls of Fury (Christopher Walken and ping-pong? Hell yeah). There, they announced that The State, the MTV sketch program that showcased the talents of Lennon, Garrant, and folks like Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, will be arriving on iTunes or DVD sometime this year. The only issue that kept the program from hitting DVD in the first place was, of course, the music clearances. MTV has put up money to re-score it. Sigh. I have a feeling fans are going to be complaining.
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Why do series finales have to be so final?
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