Posted on 12/05/2010 8:24:51 AM PST by null and void
White House speechwriter wins comedy prize [Politico title]
Sparked by an impeccable impersonation of Arianna Huffington, White House speechwriter Jon Lovett took home the top honors at Washington's annual "Funniest Celebrity" competition Thursday night.
"Sarah Palin as the next president of the United States?" asked Lovett. "I'm kidding, of course. I just think it's going to be close." With laughter still ringing throughout DC Improv, Lovett coughed up, "I'm going to be fired."
His routine — ahem — touched on the recent controversy over Transportation Security Administration searches, and he joked that "Virgin Airlines had to change their name to 'Technically Still a Virgin' Airlines."
"Everybody in Washington has been talking about the TSA," said Lovett. "TSA has been kind of a big story lately. A lot of people tonight have made some jokes about the TSA; I am, too. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about, you know. First of all, these things are designed to keep us safe. Second of all, it’s giving a way for, you know, defrocked priests to get their lives back together, give back to the community, lend a ... well, not lend a hand, but you know."
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) took second place, buoyed by a tough critique of his own party. Noting the number of White House staffers in the crowd, Larsen said, "No one's at the White House tonight — but how is that different than the last two years?"
Third place went to Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist.
This year's event did have its areas of weaknesses: a new time limit — strictly enforced by a glaring "1 Minute" sign in the audience — that both alerted comedians to their diminishing time onstage and reduced the ability to create some momentum with the crowd. And all too many of the jokes focused on, well, the fact that Washington wasn't really funny and (especially beyond the Beltway) the "celebrities" weren't actual celebrities.
The Daily Caller's Mary Katharine Ham said that the concept of "Washington's Funniest Celebrity" was akin to "playing limbo at an ant farm." ABC News's John Hendren drew a different comparison, saying, "We are to celebrity what Bristol Palin is to dancing." Former CNN reporter Jamie McIntyre said he was gunning for "funniest reporter, not celebrity — it's an important distinction." (He ended up winning that honor.)
They may have been onto something: Even the comedians had to note that winning over this crowd wasn't easy. "When I wrote that, it was a lot better," confessed Larsen after attempting a Bristol Palin joke to meek laughter. When a joke by a Michael Moore impersonator fell flat, he had to ask the crowd, "Do I really need to explain this to this group?"
And when a Fox Business Network reporter found himself in similarly awkward territory, he quipped, "All this booze and that's all you got?" A joke by McIntyre bombed and he said, "I was banking on you guys following the news — never mind."
Otherwise, the jokes were fairly predictable. Common topic No. 1? Nancy Pelosi ... and a plastic surgery theme.
The American Spectator's Al Regnery poked fun at the outgoing House speaker’s "stiff upper lip." Radio host Chris Plante mentioned her "surgically altered finger." Human Events' Jason Mattera said, "That chick uses an ice pick to exfoliate."
The Daily Caller's Tucker Carlson, who was a no-show, also served as the butt of a few jokes. "If you leave offstage, you'll end up with Tucker Carlson in his vehicle," said emcee Richard Sher. Carlson's employee Mike Riggs noted that although he was not wearing a bow tie as his boss famously used to do, "Don't be deceived: I still hate poor people."
Comedian Pete Dominick turned in a video performance, suggesting that Carlson trying his hand at comedy would be "like Joe Biden teaching a seminar on how to think before you speak."
did the grand ghazi let him joke about the intended target group, the source of our problems, muslims bypassing the system and rendering it useless at a great cost to America?
Adolf Hitler also liked to tell jokes - How many Jews can you fit in a Volkswagen Bug? You can fit 30 - 4 on the seats and 26 in the Ashtray. (not meant to be funny).
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
http://www.nachumlist.com/obamaethics.htm
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
http://www.nachumlist.com/obamaethics.htm
Please share with others.
You go man! Bump!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.