Posted on 02/15/2007 5:55:33 AM PST by PJ-Comix
This marks a DUmmie FUnnies first. I am actually agreeing with the basic premise of a leftwing loon. And make no mistake about it, Bob Cesca of the HUffington Post is a flatout loon. He was even mentioned in the DUmmie FUnnies a few months ago over his wacky conspiratorial theories about how the Republicans were going trying to steal the elections. Well, Bob, if the Republicans were going to steal the elections, they sure did a miserable job of it. However, I now have to agree with the loony Cesca in his assessment of the new Fox News "comedy" show that he correctly panned in this HUffington Post THREAD titled, "Step Away From The Jokes, Fox News, Before You Hurt Yourself." It flat out STINKS. I mean it is sooooo bad that I am now suspecting that the writers are liberals deliberately trying to sabotage that show. Should you think I am exaggerating, take a look at this VIDEO clip of the show. One can only conclude that the writers are either purposely undermining the show or are so lacking in comedic talent that they need to be terminated faster than Amanda Marcotte was removed from the John Edwards campaign. So let us now watch Cesca and the HUffies slam the new Fox News "comedy" show in Bolshevik Red while the comments of your humble correspondent, in the awkward position of mostly agreeing with the HUffies, is in the [brackets]:
Step Away From The Jokes, Fox News, Before You Hurt Yourself
[Better yet...Step Away From The Writers, Fox News, Before You Hurt Yourself."]
They've forced me to do it again. Fox News Channel has "leaked" something on the internets that's so awful it's forcing me to actually promote it. As with avoiding mentions of Ann Coulter's books, I try not to give promotion -- even negative promotion -- to certain things which are both ridiculous and meaningless.
That is, unless such items really, really deserve to be mocked at length.
[Bob Cesca might unwittingly be doing conservatives a favor here. By highlighting just how horrible the Fox News "comedy" show is, he might help that network decide to dump those writers before that show can embarrass conservatives any more.]
And that brings us to FNC's new Daily Show knockoff titled The Half Hour Comedy Hour. Oh wait. That was a show on Comedy Central, like, 20 years ago. The new FNC show is actually called The 1/2 Hour News Hour and there's a reason why the "comedy" part was left out of the hackish and oh-so-clever title (half-hour + an hour show = knee slapping awesomeness). Obviously because, well, you know. There's no comedy.
[Also no originality nor creativity.]
How do I know there's no comedy? For starters, there's this YouTube video leak.
[Correct. Check out the VIDEO. It is so horrible that it is embarrassing to watch.]
Made obvious by the clean compression, it's clearly a leak from the producers or FNC or both designed to generate a buzz, which I'm now feeding. But here's the thing. If they're going to leak a segment of the show, they should have avoided what is rumored to be a laugh track. I'm not sure why they didn't run through the show with an actual laughing audience, but I could probably fire off a list of reasons. The first being that, as we all know, there aren't many funny Republicans.
[Wrong. It's just that there aren't many Republicans nor anybody else who find this Fox News horror show to be FUnnie.]
So finding a funny a pair of Republican co-hosts was probably a challenge, but finding an audience who would actually laugh along with those hosts must've been impossible, and hence the apparent laughter sound effects.
[A repetitive laugh track at that.]
Then there's the unintentionally hilarious Republican racism in the show. The attempted joke in which the white male host compares Senator Obama to former Washington, DC mayor Marion Barry was weird and awful, especially considering the wide variety of, say, white politicians and public figures who have used cocaine. Like the president.
[And here we have a sneak preview of what would happen if Obama were nominated. If you oppose him for any reason then you're a LOUSY racist.]
To be fair, there are several funny liberals who occasionally employ racist humor. Most of the time, though, the successful ones, like Howard Stern, use it for satirical purposes. But anyone who listens to Howard knows he's not a racist and his intention is to expose its hatred and hypocrisy.
[Ah! The old double standard. I bet Cesca finds Sheets Byrd to be hilarious.]
However, when it comes from a network which has employed, promoted and shrugged-off racism with a wholly serious tone (here, here, and here for example) it doesn't sound like satire, it simply sounds racist. That said, it's an easy way to attain cred and laughter from Fox News viewers who are either racists themselves or who simply accept it with a chuckle. The joke wasn't meant to satirize and mock racism, the joke was designed to make a point that, apparently, black politicians use cocaine. You know, because they're all black and can't be trusted in positions of authority -- what with all their tar baby drug habits. That's racism. And it got the biggest (fake?) laugh of the segment.
[The "comedy" show didn't sound racist. It just sounded STUPID.]
Not surprisingly, the second biggest (fake?) laughter of the show came in reaction to the title of a spoof magazine called BO: Barack Obama Magazine. I just snarfed, because B.O. is too funny. Here's a perfect example of how Republicans don't understand satire. If Senator Obama was known to have body odor, then the joke would've been funnier. But to my knowledge, he doesn't. Then again, he is a black and they're usually all stinky and black-smelling, aren't they? Seriously, it's a terrible joke.
[Songwriter Charles Henrickson of the Free Republic did a quick B.O. joke way back in December. At least he had the sense to quickly drop it after first use rather than beat it to death like the Fox News "comedy" show did.]
Fox News should never expect the "greatest" anything praise for the The 1/2 Hour News Hour. Not even from Republicans.
[Don't worry. Conservatives already HATE that show for the most part.]
It's no stretch to suggest that successful artists are generally liberal. Creating effective art requires an open mind and, generally speaking, conservatives tend to have trouble with, you know... the whole open-mindedness thing. Additionally, liberals are by-in-large blessed with a degree of self deprecation -- an important trait for comedy -- while conservatives tend to be more self-assured, sometimes bordering on delusional in the case of say, Limbaugh or Hannity. Republicans are good at certain things -- making trains run on time for one. And they can certainly appreciate good comedy. They just can't create it.
[And this is why Fox News needs to drop that "comedy" show and/or writers pronto. The main effect of this show is to make conservatives look unjustly unfunnie. BTW, Bob, the FUnniest show on the Tube is currently South Park which EXCELLENTLY skews liberal pretentions. Think about that while driving around in your Pious Car. And now on to the HUffie critiques...]
The tone of the jokes DID stink, but the Gilligan's Island laugh track helped - or I wouldn't have known when to laugh. The opening camera pan and set design is a direct cop from the Daily Show. Looks like Comedy Wanna Be hour?
[An unoriginal show with an unoriginal laugh track.]
The laugh track would run the entire length of the show, but the first 10 minutes would be the sound of people groaning and getting up to leave. Was this horrible or what? Don't be surprised when Carrot Top makes a reality show and steals this POS's spot. This show doesn't even appeal to people that find Saturday Night Live funny. Fox is dropping the ball again with new shows.
[I would like to see Gallagher on a stage with this "comedy" show on a TV set and then smash it with a sledge hammer.]
Yikes. They need writers desperately.
[Yikes. They need to fire writers desperately.]
As a member of the entertainment community, I would be ashamed to be associated with such dreck. The futures of their careers have been sealed. In cement shoes. Bluck, I've got to go drink a gallon of grey water to get the taste out of my mouth.
[Most members of the conservative community would be ashamed to be associated with such dreck.]
i dont actually like them but there are at least 2 arch conservatives that (semi) consistenly do funny stuff. trey parker and matt stone.
[South Park RULES!!!]
They should just rerun episodes of Hee-Haw.
[Just running the station signoff signal would be an improvement.]
No living republicans are humerous, few are rational, most are consumed with greed, and all are full of their own self-importance. They stand for national stagnation and moral decay.
[Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham are ALWAYS laughing at your liberal pretentions.]
I doubt anyone in the studio was laughing, even the paid hands. They were either cutting their wrists or sending out resumes.
[LOL! That explains why they had to use a phony sounding laugh track.]
I saw another clip this morning that I thought was very funny. It opened showing the White House and the announcer says "And now - the President of the United States". Then they show the Oval Office with Rush Limbaugh sitting behind the desk. Later his phone rings and his secretary announces "The Vice-President is here". And the door opens and in walks Ann Coulter.
I say give the show some time. Even SNL wasn't all that funny at first.
Is HE the father of Anna Nicole's baby?!?
And any weatherman who dares to question the Global Warming thesis must be immediately branded as a heretic and deprived of his credentials immediately.
SCTV was FUnnie from the get-go.
No living Democrats can spell.
Well, I agree with you there.
Unlike those DEMOCRAT pillars of moral purity: Bawney "Turn the Page" Fwank, Bill "The Man from Grope" Clinton, Gavin Twosom, James McGroovey, Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy, Jesse "The Daddy" Jackson, William "Cold Cash" Jefferson. . . .
DRAIN YOUR OWN SWAMP, NANCY!
SCTV was deliberately sabotaged by NBC. What happened is that SCTV had consistently better material than SNL. So NBC offered SCTV a deal to appear on its network. Then what they did is broadcast it in the early AM when hardly anybody was awake and then cancelled it due to "poor ratings."
If you are going to quote me, please quote me accurately. The term is "hi-frikkin-larious"
I saw the Rush clip on H&C last night and it was painful to watch. I just wanted it to be over after 10 seconds of it, you know, like a root canal.
SCTV was BRILLIANT, very funny! I laugh just thinking of Guy Caballaro, Edith Prickley, Johnny LaRue, the Shmenge Brothers, Lola Heatherton. . . .
The format you describe, PJ, of a cable news channel would be loose enough to allow satirizing current events.
The Simpsons has a knack for doing that, too: they're watching Kent Brockman, a celebrity visits Springfield--lots of ways to work in contemporary references and still stay within format.
Well, last time I checked, Dennis Miller nor Kelsey Grammar were sitting in their whitey-tighties in momma's basement, pecking away on their keyboard, and stealing twenties from her purse to order late-night pizza.
One of the hosts on the fictitious CCC of "Media Circus" would be a fast talking, hyperactive, host of "Softball" called Matt Christopher. Whenever the subject turns to the Scooter Libby trial, rivers of drool flow from his mouth.
Are you thinking, amybe, Ben Stein?
Another CCC host would be a Rino Yuppie named Huckster Carlton who is constantly battling lousy ratings and lives in fear of being cancelled. The program director of CCC tell Huckster that he needs to get rid of his trademark bowtie because the audience hates it. However, Huckster stands his ground and they come up with the concept of Huckster wearing an even bigger bowtie with this twist---whenever Huckster gets excited about something, the oversized bowtie spins like a propellor.
That guy is no media critic.
Rush indicated yesterday that that clip is currently on YouTube. Sorry, I haven't seen it so "no linkee".
Another host on legal matters for CCC would be Nancy Graceless. She would dress and act like Roland Freisler of the German People's Court (Volksgerichtshof). Any guest of hers who is accused of committing a crime such as the Duke Lacrosse players is given the screeching Freisler treatment by her in that they aren't even given a chance to speak. (Important for her to wear the Volksgerichtshof judge hat and gown.)
"Are you thinking, amybe, Ben Stein?"
No, I was mentioning another funny conservative-Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mark Steyn.
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