Mos Def

PREVIEW: WATCH Mos Def’s Flow On Chappelle’s Show on ebaumsworld

Whether he’s demolishing Kanye in a rap battle or traveling the galaxy with Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def is a legend. As one of the most well-known MCs in the entertainment industry, Mos Def has garnered friends such as Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli and Dave Chappelle. The recent viewing of a clip of Mos Def on the latter’s show, however, was when Mos Def, for me, became not only one of the most respected MCs but also one of the most talented.

When the episode premiered on Chappelle’s Show in 2003, Mos Def had not yet released his third album “The New Danger”, which includes the song “Close Edge” that Mos presumably “freestyled” on the show. Even if you thought the rap was pre-meditated, it wouldn’t matter. I rewound the two minute segment at least four times in one sitting because I couldn’t stop watching Mos. Even when he’s casually driving around with an incredibly goofy comedian, his flow is absolutely flawless.

–Elizabeth Vogt, Assistant Front of Book Editor

Comedy is a broad subject. It’s not confined to any one medium, genre, style, or format. It’s hard to define and almost impossible to quantify. But here at NPI, we take comedy very seriously. The comedy of the Aughts in particular will always have an important role in shaping our senses of humor. So today we present a list, in no particular order, of people who helped to truly shape the comedy of the decade. This is not a list of people who were funny once or twice, but people with a body of work that is both rich and impressive. This means that a lot of people had to be cut. Great stand-up comics (Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari), some hilarious supporting comic actors (Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman), and even some groundbreaking comic teams (Flight of the Conchords, Stella), couldn’t make the list. And that’s because the following individuals/groups reached a level of success, both in terms of popularity and quality, that helped define the comedy of the decade.

The cast of Arrested Development

Arrested Development has the funniest ensemble cast in the history of comedic television, and it’s way ahead of whatever’s at #2. Tim has already extolled the virtues of Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth, but the fact is that the main character is about the sixth-funniest cast member on the show. Michael Cera gave a breakout performance for three years as George Michael, completely selling every awkward quirk of the character, including (and especially) his love for his cousin. David Cross played Tobias’ obliviousness and physical awkwardness to perfection, conveying every sexual inadequacy and illicit implication (“She said ‘single,’ right?”). Will Arnett made a magician named Gob come off as arrogant, creepy, and sympathetic. Portia Di Rossi played Lindsay’s self-righteousness and laziness as mutually coexisting. Jeffrey Tambor, as the family patriarch, managed to make the character so memorable that they had to keep him as a regular, even though he was supposed to remain a guest after the pilot. Tony Hale’s Buster, Jessica Walter’s Lucille, and Alia Shawkat’s Maeby, rounded out the cast, ensuring the show didn’t have a single weakness. Even guest stars, like Henry Winkler, Ed Begley, Jr., and John Michael Higgins, manage to turn their characters into memorable comic stars.

Most important, though, was the way the cast interacted. Plenty, if not all, great comedies have breakout characters and star performers, but few entire casts have had the chemistry that this cast had. Exchanges between Michael and his son, for example, are so great not just because of the dialogue and each character’s eccentricities, but because of the interplay between the two characters. Their ability to talk over each other, fill in each other’s awkward gaps, and respond nonverbally to the other’s lines are as funny as anything in the script.

Will Ferrell

In terms of pure popularity and commercial success, no comedian on this list has had a better decade than Will Ferrell. When the Aughts began, he was an underappreciated member of the Saturday Night Live cast, probably best known for playing Alex Trebek in Celebrity Jeopardy sketches, alongside Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery. Now, he is one of the most highly paid, and perhaps the single most overpaid, stars in Hollywood.

And while his recent string of movies (Land of the Lost, Semi-Pro, Step Brothers) has not met with the kind of cultural response as some of his earlier work, it’s impossible to deny his imprint on the comedy of the decade.

Here’s a brief overview of comedy phenomena that Ferrell has had an integral hand in bringing to life this decade: his definitive impression of George W. Bush, More Cowbell, Jacobim Mugatu, Frank the Tank, Ron Burgundy, the Little Landlord, etc. This list still omits over half of his films, and plenty of his SNL sketches and viral hits. While some (myself included) think pretty much that whole list is comedy gold, it’s hard to really find anyone who doesn’t appreciate at least something there. Ferrell’s comedy sometimes gets criticized for being too broad or over-the-top, but the truth is that Ferrell’s ability to embody a comic persona so completely leads to just as many subtle, clever moments as big, outlandish ones. It’s the big, crazy ones that get remembered, of course, but even comedy elitists should be able to appreciate Ferrell’s unparalleled ability to make unfunny material sound hilarious.

Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

You know who doesn’t get enough credit? Stephen Merchant. Ricky Gervais is a worldwide celebrity, but Merchant is a more or less unknown face. Without Merchant, though, Gervais’ impact on the comedy of the decade would not be as unmistakable as it is. His film career is rather forgettable on the whole; his stand-up, while very good, is not good enough to make this list on its own.

The real reason, of course, for Gervais and Merchant’s inclusion on the list is The Office. Possibly the most groundbreaking series of the decade, The Office was the first show to successfully use the documentary format in a series, the format since aped by the American version, Arrested Development, Parks & Recreation, etc. Even more important, though, is the way the show mined silence, awkwardness, and self-deception for rich comedy. The show, by veering more directly into the misanthropic than pretty much any other comedy, created one of the funniest series of the Aughts.

Extras, their follow-up, was an almost equally brilliant examination of celebrity and vanity. Extras was also noteworthy for finally giving Merchant the opportunity to share the screen with Gervais (with one small exception in The Office); given the opportunity, Merchant steals almost every scene.

Jon Stewart and The Daily Show writers

It’s weird to think that Jon Stewart was not the original host of The Daily Show, or that Stewart almost left to host a network show that ultimately went to Jimmy Kimmel, since Jon Stewart is, at this point, so linked to his show. It’s hard to imagine anyone else hosting it because Stewart’s mix of humility, indignity, intelligence, and relatability are so integral to its success. The Daily Show has survived the departure of so many star correspondents—Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, Mo Rocca, Ed Helms, etc.—because Stewart is such a strong foundation for the show.

Stewart’s cultural relevance—his ability to take down Crossover, to tear apart Jim Cramer—often cloud how funny the show has been throughout the decade. While it has a tendency to rest on its laurels—and Stewart’s ability to sell a mediocre joke—the show still knows how to bring the smartest satire to news and cable programming. Every election season, the show seems to hit a new stride. In fact, the comedy generated out of politics is almost taken for granted as an intrinsic part of politics now; it is hard to imagine the current political landscape existing without Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.

Stephen Colbert

Unlike The Daily Show, in which Jon Stewart serves as an anchor for a large cast of correspondents lampooning the entire spectrum of political coverage, The Colbert Report is really all about Stephen Colbert. Colbert’s character of Stephen Colbert is what sells the comedy on his show. What Colbert has done, then, is probably more impressive than what Stewart has done, particularly when you consider that The Colbert Report is, at this point, more consistently funny and relevant than The Daily Show. Colbert has made such an art of getting politicians and public figures to embarrass themselves that he’s had to more or less abandon “Better Know a District,” one of his funniest features, due to the refusal of Congressmen to meet with him.

Stephen Colbert is best known for his own show—and for his use of the character in other venues, like Ben & Jerry’s flavors, and the White House Correspondence dinner—but, of course, he has had a strong career outside of it. He was the best correspondent on The Daily Show during his time on that show, bringing such highlights as “This Week in God” and “Even Stevphen.” And I would be remiss if I omitted the cult hit Strangers with Candy, which he co-wrote, co-created, and co-starred in. The majority of that series aired in 2000, to little audience reaction but high quality, and the film adaptation came out in 2006. Colbert’s comic talents have a wide range, but the character he has fashioned on his own show is clearly him at his most memorable.

Dave Chappelle

It’s probably easily forgotten at this point, but when Chappelle’s Show premiered in 2003, it generated buzz in a way that no show has really done since. Usually, comedians who get a lot of attention for “controversial” treatment of racial subjects are using taboo material as a crutch for bad jokes (read: Carlos Mencia). Chappelle, however, is to racial humor what Woody Allen was to Jewish humor, or The Daily Show is to political humor: He did it in a way that was completely clever, original, and, most of all, funny. Skits like “The Racial Draft” and “The Black White Supremacist” went beyond traditional “black people are different than white people” tropes, and managed to find new ways to mock racial sensitivity. The show also had plenty of forgotten gems that hardly touched on race, such as “Better in Slow Motion,” “The Three Daves,” and “Great Moments in Hookup History.” 

Of course, all anyone seems to remember from Chappelle’s Show is “I’m Rick James, bitch!” which was basically why he walked away from the show after two seasons. Truthfully those 25 episodes would have probably been enough to get him on the list, given their cultural impact, but Chappelle was also one of the best stand-up comics of the decade. Killing Them Softly and For What It’s Worth are two of the best specials of the decade, including his bit on Sesame Street and his trip to the ghetto.

Mitch Hedberg

It may be mildly surprising that Mitch Hedberg is on this list, being that he passed away halfway through the decade. For anyone who knows his material, though, Hedberg’s impact on stand-up comedy, even given his unfortunately early death, is unmistakable.* Hedberg was so personable and distinctive in his voice and mannerisms that he managed to create a memorable stand-up persona, despite the fact that his material is basically a series of unconnected one-liners. His deftness with punchlines, though, made his jokes some of the most memorable ones of the Aughts.

*When I first heard about Hedberg’s death, on March 30, 2005, I convinced myself it was an elaborate and early April Fools’ joke for almost a week.

Strategic Grill Locations, Hedberg’s first CD, technically came out in 1999 but didn’t start circulating widely until 2000 (it was originally self-published). It very quickly, however, established Hedberg’s voice and wit, including lines like, “A severed foot is the ultimate stocking-stuffer,” and “I opened up a yogurt and underneath the lid it said, ‘Please try again,’ because they were having a contest I was unaware of. But I thought I might have opened the yogurt wrong. Or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me.” His follow-up, Mitch All-Together, was released in 2003, and continued Hedberg’s warped brand of observational comedy. Losing arguably the best stand-up comic at the age of 37 was probably the worst tragedy to afflict comedy in the Aughts.

Zach Galifianakis 

Until 2009’s The Hangover, Zach Galifianakis wasn’t really a household name, or even a name you could really be sure other comedy fans had heard of. Now, though, even if people don’t know his name, they know of “the guy from The Hangover.” But this doesn’t mean that Galifianakis wasn’t producing great comedy throughout the decade; it was merely that none of his projects ended up catching on, usually because they weren’t the right fit for his talents. His Comedy Central Presents was hilarious and original, but very offbeat, featuring a 12-piece a capella group at the end. His VH1 talk show had some great moments, but forced him to be too mainstream. His appearances as Seth Galiafinakis never really had a big platform. He excelled on Dog Bites Man, but the show was cancelled after one season on Comedy Central.

In every one of these venues, though, Galifianakis brought his brilliantly absurd style of comedy to the project, making it both original and funny. The things that bear his pure creative stamp, including his stand-up comedy and his talk show, Between Two Ferns, were consistently unpredictable and hilarious.

Larry David

Obviously, we here at NPI are big fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Larry David makes the list of funniest people of the decade. As the star and creative force behind one of the best comic series of the decade, David’s stamp on the comedy of the Aughts is unmistakable. Curb Your Enthusiasm, in fact, may be the best series to run the full length of the decade (although that’s a little unfair, since HBO allows David to take large gaps between the seasons). The improvisational style leads to great moments from Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Bob Einstein, J.B. Smoove, Susie Essman, and the rest of the cast, but it’s Larry that holds the show together. As the social misanthrope who isn’t afraid to challenge any cherished societal convention, Larry David has produced a character who is relatable and likable, despite the fact that so much of what he does is so detestable. 

Curb Your Enthusiasm has both extended the Seinfeld-style of humor and left an even stronger “Larry David” signature on the world of comedy. When David starred in Woody Allen’s Whatever Works this summer, it was an example of two stars of Jewish comedy coming together. But what it really demonstrated was how much more natural and innovative David’s own style seems, at this point, than someone even as groundbreaking as Woody Allen.

Trey Parker & Matt Stone

South Park really peaked in popularity in the late 1990s, shortly after the show debuted. The show was a phenomenon right from the start, thanks to the crude humor of Cartman and the rest. Even the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut came out in 1999. It was during this decade, however, that the show hit its creative stride. Since the show is so well-known for its fart jokes and scatological material—which it has never abandoned—the cleverness of its wit and satire is often overlooked.

The ability of Trey Parker and Matt Stone to satirize and mock things like the reaction to Hurricane Katrina, World of Warcraft, and elections shows that they are really the smartest and most original social commentators on television right now. 

Parker and Stone are also admirable for their willingness to go after things that aren’t generally criticized, like anti-smoking backlash and the comedy of Family Guy. Their show, in addition to being one of the most consistently funny shows on television, is one of the few comedies that actually makes a strong and persuasive argument about something, on occasion. This, of course, is not a requirement of comedy, but it does make satire funnier when it comes from a real place.

Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow has had a hand in some of the funniest movies of the decade. His work on television from the early part of the Aughts—Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared—is often heralded as a more mature kind of comedy, but Apatow’s real strength would be in movies. He directed and co-wrote The 40-Year-Old Virgin; he wrote and directed Knocked Up. He was also the producer on Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Superbad, Walk Hard, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express, as well as a few others.

His effect on the world of comedy, though, extends far beyond his own films. He has helped make stars out of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Paul Rudd. He has helped revive the career of Adam Sandler (for better or for worse). He has developed a certain style and tone of male dialogue that will be ripped off for years, and his role in shaping the modern romantic comedy genre is unmistakable.

Conan O’Brien

The recent press around Conan O’Brien’s move to The Tonight Show has not been good: His ratings have fallen and many people are already predicting his demise as host. In some ways, this just confirms the feelings of Conan’s biggest fans: Most people don’t get him. Conan has never shied away from the fact that his style of humor is somewhat more outlandish and goofy than that of other late-night hosts. This means that the audience that tuned in to hear Jay Leno make generic jokes about current events might not find the appeal of Conan’s attempts to alienate every country.

But for many, particularly in younger demographics, Conan continues to be the funniest and most exciting late-night host. He single-handedly resuscitated Chuck Norris’ career, he made the most of his trips to Chicago and Finland, and, of course, he explored the intricacies of old-timey baseball. His willingness to do these absurd features makes him totally unique among late-night hosts.

Matt Damon as  Matthew McConaughey.

A contestant on Next Big Thing nailing  Al Pacino.

Joe Alaskey as Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Don Knotts, Alfred Hitchcock, Walter Brennan and Peter Lorre.

Barry Mitchell does Woody Allen.

Another mystery guy channeling  Christopher Walken, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.

Jim Carrey as David Caruso in CSI Miami.

Dre Parker doing Dave Chappelle, Bernie Mac and Damon Wayans.

Another anonymous YouTuber imitating Gilbert Gottfried.

Ray Ray in a skit as Regis Philbin and Owen Wilson.

Rob Magnotti as Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Michael Richards, Bill Cosby, Dudley Moore, Paulie Walnuts, Nicolas Cage, Al Pacino and John Travolta.

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people today! Yeah I can see it as a one time pic as a joke….maybe, but putting a wig on your baby cause she has hardly anyhair…. SHES A GOTDAMN BABY hair has to fucking come in first, and putting a damn wig on her day in and day out is only going to fuck that kids head up in the long run.

This bitch is dum. As Wayne Brady said on  The Dave Chappelle Show

 ” is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?”

So I’m a big fan of sketch comedy. But in my humble opinion there hasn’t been a great sketch show on the air in years. Of coure, SNL is always on but I’ve never found it to be that great. A really good sketch will pop up every once in awhile but it’s terribly inconsistent. But it got me thinking, if I could create the perfect SNL format show (but not live), that would be consistently funny, who would be in it?

So I tried to figure it out. It was hard. It took me a very long time.

For the cast, I tried to stay away from movie stars. Will Ferrell, Chris Rock,  and Jim Carrey would be obvious choices, but I feel like that’s too easy. And filling a show with movie stars just feels like it’s missing the point. I want it to have a ensemble feel, so I tried to stick to television stand outs. Also, any comedians were fair game, but they had to have some documented sketch or improv experience. I also put a big emphasis on diversity. I hate how so much of comedy seems to be segregated, so I kind of went out of my way to represent a range of cultures.

So with no further ado, here’s my Ultimate Sketch Show Cast.

Dave Chappelle

So the last great sketch comedy show on television was Chappelle’s Show. No question. And Dave’s enigmatic departure from the show made him more of a star than the show did, it seems to me. He sure as hell wasn’t gonna be on Oprah before that. I mention this because Dave may seem like to big of a star to be on an ensemble show, but I don’t really think so. Plus, he’s been out the game for a minute now.

But really, none of that matters. Because we’re talking about the funniest motherfucker on the planet. Chappelle’s Show is a testament to that. And the fact that the majority of that show was improvised is incredible. But what is really great about Chappelle is how on point his comedy is. He is able to make really biting social commentary, without sacrificing the funniness. And that’s what really makes him my favorite comedian. But you don’t need to be insightful to be funny. And he has no problem, just being funny. In fact he almost revels in juvenile humor.  For example:

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman is pretty well known for her stand up and her won Coemdy Central show The Sarah Silverman Program, but she actually was on SNL for one season, and the HBO sketch show Mr. Show, so she’s got some sketch experience. On our show she’s the the hot chick, or more accurately the cute one. Sarah’s whole appeal is based upon her foul-mouthed antics being delivered in a cutesy naive fashion. And it works. In this way she’s also a perfect compliment to Dave Chappelle, in that they both enjoy attacking social mores with overly juvenile humor.  She would have fit right in on Chappelle’s show.

Jimmy Fallon

Before being known as the host of Late Night, Fallon was the SNL heartthrob who half the audience loved because he couldn’t keep a straight face, and half the audience hated because he couldn’t keep a straight face. He is less well-remembered for his abilities as an impressionist, which is the biggest reason he’s on my cast. There are lots of comedians who can do funny impressions (like Chappelle), and a lot of accurate impressions who’s impressions themselves are funny. But Jimmy Fallon is skilled impressionist who’s also genuinely funny, and the ladies will love him when he puts on charm.  Check out this brilliant impression:

Wanda Sykes

Another comedienne known mainly for her standup, but Wanda Sykes big break came as part of the sketch cast on The Chris Rock Show. Although she could easily be dismissed as the sassy black woman of the cast, Wanda’s got a little more dimension to her. She’s political, gay, and makes the ultimate straight man (irony). With all of the other absurd and animated cast members, Wanda would fit in nicely as the dry, sarcastic, and reasonable voice of the show. But she can still be silly, if the need arises.

David Cross

Probably best known as Tobias on Arrested Development, David Cross was also one of the founder of HBO’s Mr. Show, so he’s got some sketch cred. Cross is our cranky old guy. His stand up mostly consists of bitter rants on politics and society, but he seems more comfortable playing wide-eyed, blissfully naive adults. I like him because of the lack of irony in his idiotic characters, and his abilities as a physical comic that I feel often go unnoticed. Here’s a gem from Mr. Show.

Aziz Ansari

Ansari has recently broken into the public spotlight with his role as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. However he first began making waves with the hip young crowd as part of the sketch trio Human Giant on Mtv.  And that’s pretty much why Ansari is here. He’s the hippest young dude, around. His constant pop culture references and cool, yet dorky appeal are sharp and endearing. And I don’t feel like there are many comics who can do more with less. The way Ansari can turn a simple phrase or a quick verbal jab into pure comedy is unparalleled. There’s something about his sarcastic delivery that just works. There’s nothing that exemplifies this better than RAAAAAAAANDY, the stand up parody he created for the movie Funny People.

Kenan Thompson

The current SNL star is slowly solidifying himself as one the must watch cast members, but I became a fan from his adolescent tenure on Nickelodeon’s sketch show All That. His characters like Ishboo and Pierre Escargot, were cultural icons for the thirteen and under crowd when I was growing up. While most of the other All That cast has fallen off, Kenan has flourished. He know brings the same silly, over the top, random humor to SNL. In the same way Aziz can milk so much comedy out of a word delivery, Kenan can do with a simple gesture, or a look. I hate to say it but its almost minstel-y, but in a good way (if that exists). But his work is above all silly, just like it was on all that, and on one can make me laugh at stupid stuff more than Kenan. Like this:

Will Sasso

There was a time in the early 2000’s when the now cancelled MadTv was consistently funnier than SNL. That time was brief but the biggest reason for that (no pun intended) was Will Sasso. He had quite a number of mediocre but hilarious impressions, but his true strength was his physical comedic abilities. The man is just a huge mass of ridiculous mannerisms and cartoonish movement. Watching him walk across a stage was hilarious. His most famous impersonation is probably his druken redneck interpretation of Kenny Rogers. Check it out.

Kerri Kenney-Silver

One of the founding members of the very influential sketch show The State, I’m familiar with Kenney-Silver from Reno 911! and the movie Role Models. Honestly, I’m not too familiar with her sketch work but her improvisational ability, which is on full display on Reno 911!, is amazing. Her incredibly weird character Trudy Wiegel is the show stand out but she’s shown range outside of that character in her movie roles. But really it’s the straight-faced lunacy that escapes from her mouth, when she’s left to riff on her own which makes her a must for the show. Here is a pretty funny clip form her time on The State.

Oscar Nunez

Now Nunez has not been a part of a proper sketch show, but he does have a good amount of improv experience. He’s a regular on the Office and has had substantial roles on Reno 911! and Comedy Central’s Halfway Home, which he also produced. Lately he’s been getting even more notoriety for his portayal of Ramon, in this summer’s romcom the Proposal. And he’s the funniest thing in it. I couldn’t tell you exactly what makes Oscar so funny.  It’s got something to do with the wholesome nice guy appeal he brings to all his roles, and how he can take terribly absurd characters and somehow make them human. But it was perfect for when he played the deceptive villain in Reno 911!.

Kailtin Olson

Pretty much an unknown before It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia struck gold a few years back, Kaitlin Olson however was a regular on the very-short lived “The Sketch Show” on Fox, so she’s got some sketch chops. However it’s on Always Sunny that’s she been able to shine and become the most lovable bitch in America. The Sketch influence can still be seen in a lot in her work since her character Sweet Dee is a wannabe actress, who has a couple characters that she likes to perform like a retard, Crazy Paddy or Martina Martinez. However she doesn’t do stand up. This is why:

Nick Swardson

Swardson is another one with no sketch show experience, but h’es been in many a sketch like internet video, and he’s been a mainstay on Reno 911! since the beginning, so the improv ability is there. Plus he has also built for himself probably the most memorable of all the Reno 911! guests stars in Terry, the roller skating gay prostitute. To put it simply, Nick Swardson is a frat boy. And as much as I may hate frat boys, I love their comedy. Swardson’s comedy comes almost completely out of drinking, smoking and gay jokes. Fortunately I find all of these things funny.

Charlyne Yi

Probably the least visible of any of the cast members, Charlyne Yi doesn’t really have any sketch credit because she’s barely been in anything. But she’s probably best known for having the best lines in the film Knocked Up. It seems to me she’s got a reputation as a comedian’s comedienne, and her recent starring role in the quasi documentary Sundance favorite Paper Heart helped cement her indie status. She hasn’t gotten much exposure in the typical comedic channels because she’s so wonderfully weird, but she is funny, and quite unpredicatable. Push comes to shove, she can be conventional though. Like in this straightforward parody:

And to handle the Newsdesk… Jon Stewart

Sadly, Jon Stewart is now one of the most trusted names in news. It’s not sad because he’s bad, but it’s sad because The Daily Show is not news. But it is very good comedy. So it’s really quite the no-brainer that he would handle the news portion of the sketch show.  His sharp, and unyielding political wit does more than simply crack jokes about what’s going on, they show how much of the political system is a joke.

Now, I don’t know if all these great comedic minds will actually be able to mesh on screen. Or for that matter, even sit in a room together without immediately wanting to murder each other. These cast members have vastly different styles, and many are probably used to calling the shots. So to oversee the gargantuan undertaking of giving this show direction and a cohesive feel, and managing all those egos, I’ve enlisted a performer who got his start as a writer.

The Head Writer/Showrunner: Conan O’Brien

Conan’s hilarious, and he wrote for SNL and the Simpsons during their heydays. More importantly Conan comes from an improv background, something that he made frequent use of on Late Night, and he continues to use as the new host of the Tonight Show. That improv-centric approach to comedy will serve this cast very well, as most of them are probably at their best just riffing. And if you need any further evidence Conan can command a group of young talent, just watch this:

I would like to believe that as true comedic artists they would be able to identify their comedic strengths and play to each others style and create a weekly cornucopia of laughs. But I ain’t that naive.  They probably wouldn’t work well together. But, fuck it. I think these are like some of the funniest motherfuckers around. And it’s never gonna actually happen so I’m just gonna assume it could work, even though I know it probably wouldn’t.

But how fuckin’ dope would it be if it did work?

Away we go …

70 Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002) (left) - It has always amazed me that this band went from “She Don’t Use Jelly” to this – a prog rock epic for the 21st century. Yet, oddly, I have trouble of thinking of a lot of things to say about the album beyond the fact that I like hearing the music.

69 Hot Chip – The Warning (2006) – They started off a little more electrosynth than they have become, but no less fascinating. “And I Was a Boy from School” is a minor epic in synthpop, up there with “Blue Monday” and “It’s a Sin”.

68 Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position (2007) – If Patrick Wolf doesn’t have one of the longest careers of anyone on this list, I would be surprised. Then again, he might also never release another album, that is the way of the musical prodigies like Wolf. This album is so richly textured but it is really the utter brilliance of the the title track that has me returning to The Magic Position.

67 Various Artists – Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006) – Should I admit I’ve never actually watched the movie from which this soundtrack is culled? No matter, the music is what really matters, with some excellent live performances from Dead Prez, Black Star and a show-stopped by the Roots with Erykah Badu. This would put to rest any argument that hip hop artists aren’t musicians.

66 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008) – I suppose the Fleet Foxes are sort of the logical progression from Appalachian folk rock into the realms of alternative rock. Fleet Foxes might be considered Palace Music re-envisioned in a pop music world.

65 Konono No. 1 – Congotronics Vol. 1 (2005) (right) - It is hard to ignore an album made by a bunch of musicians who made most of their instruments from scrap cars on the streets of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The music ends up emerging into an almost trancelike universe showing a sort of parallel evolution of sound.

64 Mclusky – Do Dallas (2002) – It must be fun to be a bunch of badasses like Mclusky? I mean, they have the balls to play sounds like “The World Loves Us and Is Our Bitch” or “Fuck this Band”. They were severely underappreciated during their brief, two album, existence, sort of a Welsh version of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

63 The Black Keys – Thickfreakness (2003) – I’ve always felt a little sorry for the Black Keys. I mean, fundamentally, are they that much different than the White Stripes, musically speaking? Both borrow heavily from guitar-centric blues, both rose out of the indie rock ranks, yet only one became international superstars … and it wasn’t the Black Keys. Did the right band become famous? Maybe … maybe not.

62 Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning (2005) – When Bright Eyes released their dual album I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, I was one of the few who liked the electro-pop Digital Urn better than It’s Morning but ah, tastes do change I suppose (although I still think “Easy/Lucky/Free” from Digital Urn is one of Bright Eye’s best songs and videos). I’m not sure I care for the track that Conor Oberst’s career has gone since, but I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning has staying power.

61 The Pipettes – We are the Pipettes (2006) (left) - OK, so maybe The Pipettes are one of those bands that gets a lot of credit because it was constructed of three attractive British female singers. It might have helped a lot. That being said, this sort of soul revival was a very nice welcome in the midst of a very moody decade – this is why I still love my real pop music, no matter what the hipsters try to tell us.

Here is the iTunes iMix for 70-61.

If you’ve missed the rest of the best, here are 80-71, 90-81 and 100-91.

It seems like there has been a flurry of hacked celebritard Twitter accounts in recent months – from Britney claiming to worship the devil to Fox News’ account outing Bill O’Riley for his love of the male meat sausage (which I don’t think was really a hack job, just an inside whistle blower). So this got me to thinking – what would some other possible celebrity passwords be?

#11. – Kanye West

Password: bestpasswordofalltime

#10. – R.Kelly

Password: pissonyou

#9. – Rick Astley

Password: nevergonnagiveyouup

#8. – Allen Iverson

Password: putaringonit

#7. – Dave Chappelle

Password: WTFisjuice?

#6. – Chuck Norris

Password: n/a

#5. – Paris Hilton

Password: 123456

#4. – Jerry Seinfeld

Password: what’sthedealwithpasswords

#3. – Rick James

Password: fuckyocouch

#2. – Stevie Wonder

Password:  ..:..:::.:….:.::…:….:::::..:..:..

#1. – Tyra Banks

Password: Forehead…(“ERROR! PASSWORD TOO BIG!”)

Other great passwords:

Al Gore: Ishouldhavewon
Gary Coleman: almost4′10
Ciara: WishIwasBeyonce
Rachel Uchitel: easiest1milever
Taylor Swift: thankyoukanye$$$$
Kelly Clarkson: nomnomnom
Tiger Woods: FML
Wayne Brady: amIgonnahavetoslapabitch?
Lady Gaga: tuckback

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Block Party (directed by Michel Gondry) follows Dave Chappelle during the summer of ‘04, up until September 18th, when he threw a free party on the corner of Quincy Street and Downing Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn

The film features nearby sites including the Broken Angel House as well as areas in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Dave Chappelle invited Brooklyn natives Big Daddy Kane, Mos Def, Talib Kweli…
Lauryn Hill was also scheduled, but since Columbia Records refused to release her songs for use in the production, she decided instead to reunite The Fugees for the occasion.

The film was produced before Chappelle’s highly-publicized decision to walk away from a $50 million deal to continue his hit Chappelle’s Show on Comedy Central

Remember what the Bible says: He who is without sin, cast the first rock. And I shall smoketh it.

via Odes’ blog

Was thinking about Chappelle’s Show racial draft sketch last night and laughed myself to sleep.

Needless to say Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods isn’t feeling very Cablinasian right now. Someone ask Mos Def if Tiger’s draft rights have been rescinded. Long live Chappelle’s Show.

What I do?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1383212/the_niggar_family_dave_chappelle/

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1383212/the_niggar_family_dave_chappelle/

Already one of the most popular stand up comedians working, Dave Chappelle would bring his mix of supreme silliness and racial comedy to cable television with Chappelle’s Show.  There are those who would argue that the short life span of the show has raised its status to a level it didn’t deserve.  And they may be right.

Or are they?  Using five sketches from the show, let’s look at the tale of the tape…

Relevance:  The opening skit of Chappelle’s Show was a mock episode of PBS’ Frontline.  The episode was about one of the country’s leading white supremacists, Clayton Bigsby.  Blind from birth, Bigsby’s work has made him a hero to the movement.  There’s just, um, one minor detail no one has mentioned to Mr. Bigsby – he’s actually a black man himself.  Filled with the kind of intelligent and dead-on satire that would define the show, this particular skit’s closing line said it all: “When I asked him (Bigsby) why he divorced his wife, he said, ‘Cause she’s a nigger-lover.’  WOW.

Legacy:  Dave got criticized and ridiculed left and right for walking away from $50 million.  One of the primary reasons he gave for quitting was feeling like some were no longer laughing with him, but laughing at him.  A good example of the type of sketch he was referring to was the sketch about the white family whose last name just happened to be Nyggar.  My father was a typical brother who grew up in the rural South during the 50s and 60s; I’ve only seen him laugh so hard he had to leave the room twice in my lifetime.  The Nyggar Family was one of those times.  On the flip side of the coin, I’ll never forget hanging out with some white acquaintances who felt like reciting the sketch for me, verbatim, and feeling absolutely paralyzed. 

I say all this to say, from an artist point of view, especially a black artist, this may have been the best example in the history of the Industry of the hypothetical, ‘How much are you willing to pay for your soul?”  (And I’ve heard Dave imply this exact sentiment and other interviews he’s given since the show ended).

Craft:  There’s the racial humor like the two sketches above that are based on the historical racism blacks have had to deal with in this country.  But where Chappelle’s Show really broke through was applying the Seinfeld/Cosby-esque everyday life humor through a black lens.  We dark-skinned types have been known to have problems with dry skin.  When the ‘World Series of Dice’ sketch introduced the world to Ashy Larry, it wasn’t the first or last time a character or joke on this show COMPLETELY overshadowed the sketch that created it.  Marcy Son, What?!?

Crossover:  So there was one particular catchphrase that just took pop culture by storm.  In one particular episode, Charlie Murphy (Eddie’s older brother) told a series of stories about run-ins he had with a certain 70s/80s funk icon.  Now there were at least five other great quotables from these stories (in no particular order, “Phuck yo’ couch!”, “We were called the Darkness Brothers, see, this was before Wesley Snipes…”, “Cocaine is hell of a drug…”, “They shoulda never given you niggas money!”, and of course, the absolute killer “What did the five fingers say to the face?”)  The one that ruled them all though was the singer’s very over-the-top self-introduction.  His name is on the tip of my tongue; what was it again?

Apollo:  The style of comedy Chappelle does was custom made for this category (as if all the previous examples hadn’t illustrated that).  To keep it simple, let’s go with the one everybody knows.  It started as a biting (but funny) crack made by comedy legend Paul Mooney: “White people love Wayne Brady, because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.”  Fast forward to season 2, where Dave decided to ‘make peace’ and hang out with Wayne.  From the moment you hear, “Oh shit!  It’s Wayne Brady son!”, you already know it’s over.  Wayne’s willingness to completely mock his own white bread, goody two shoes image won him points with everybody, and is still as funny today as it was the night it aired.

And…then there were two.  The second most important TV show will be up shortly…

Lmao.. This n*ggas a joke

“Who are the 5 greatest rappers of  all time? Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan & Dylan”

Classic..ctfu

VERDICT:
8/10 Boss Emcees

One of those magical little movies that’ll a big ol’ smile on your face from beginning to end. Man, what the hell happened to Dave Chappelle?

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is a documentary that follows Dave Chappelle – back when he was living it up as the funniest man on Earth –  as he puts together an utterly epic block party in Brooklyn, NY featuring some of the biggest names in the history of R&B and Hip-Hop. And being that Dave Chappelle is the man, he makes it into a free show, buses droves of people from his hometown in Ohio to go to the show, and makes everyone laugh their asses off.

What a guy.

Now, I happen to like a lot of the acts that Dave lined up for this show, especially since he somehow managed to get The Fugees back together for it (if you’ve never listened to The Score, you don’t know what you’re missing, brotha). So being that I like to laugh hard and since I’m always down for some choice R&B and Hip-Hop, this was a win-win for me, but I can understand how a number of folks out there might not see the attraction to this little comedy/rap concoction. For those of you who fall into this category, listen close, I have a story to tell thee.

I kinda had to rope my friends into seeing this one when it was out in theaters because they could really have given a shit about every aspect about this movie that didn’t have to do with Dave Chappelle. But by the time they came out, even though they still didn’t really care much for the musical aspect of it, they were soundly entertained across the board.

Part of this is because of Dave. The humor here is kinda different from Chappelle’s Show in that it’s not really trying to be edgy or push the envelope, it’s just capturing Dave as this normal, genuine, and totally hilarious guy that’s just trying to throw this sweet party for everyone to enjoy. The only bits that are scripted are a couple acts he does onstage with Mos Def and The Roots, but his best stuff is just when he’s being himself. It’s a damn shame that he’s been written off as this mental case over the years, because the impression you get from him here is that he’s of the rare humble, and grounded breed of celebrity that’s doing his best not to let fame get to his head. There’s a lot of celebrities out there who could learn a thing or two from Dave. That guy’s A-okay in my book.

But the other part of this is actually because of Michel Gondry. From a visual standpoint, you’d never know Gondry was behind this as it pretty much boils down to him with a camera and that’s it, but it’s something about the overall positive vibes this movie puts out that feels very much his own. Gondry makes movies about people, movies that bring people together, and that’s the beauty of Block Party. More so than the acts on stage, Gondry makes the people going to the show the main characters, showcasing this melting pot of cultures and happiness that all came together for this one kickass occasion.

It’s an unlikely one, but Chappelle and Gondry are a great team whose visions really complement each other. Good times all around with these guys.

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is just a damn good time. Not only is it funny as hell, but it’s surprisingly insightful, has a huge heart, and the concert itself is totally awesome, too. So give it a shot, even if you could care less about a Fugees reunion, everyone needs a good reminder every now and again of the genius that is Dave Chappelle.

We miss you, man. Come back to us.

I am willing to bet that this book is hilarious.. Definitely going to pick this up.

If there were such a thing as a time machine I would transport myself to back to September 18, 2004. Location…Brooklyn, New York. Yup, I’d make sure I reappeared front row & center at Dave Chappelle’s “Block Party,” the infamous street concert that featured The Roots, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Common, Kanye, Dead Prez and best of all… The Fugees! Man, I wish that I could see them perform together again. I’m proud to say that I saw them perform at The Warfield in San Francisco back in the day. It was definitely one of the best concerts I’ve been to… ever! Off of their 1994 debut album Blunted On Reality check out this live performance of the “Nappy Heads” remix from Dave Chappelle’s “Block Party.”

Fashion isn’t supposed to be politically correct. If it was it wouldn’t be so fun and so daring. And we know that the French especially don’t give a fuck. Which is why I love them. Just last month, my dear friend Jean, creator of the fabulous fashion blog Ledefile, alerted me to a previous issue of French Vogue with pregnant models wearing strappy high heels and smoking cigarettes.

loving the baby stuffed in the handbag

That obviously wouldn’t fly in American Vogue mostly because Americans have sticks up their ass. But I actually enjoyed the pregnancy photo spread. Sans the cigarettes , the photos alleviate the insecure feeling most women have about what pregnancy will do their bodies and how unattractive they may become because those models were HOT.

However, in the October issue of Vogue, in a photo spread, is Dutch supermodel Lara Stone,…wait for it….wait for it…in Blackface.

And a bunch of questions popped in my mind. Is this blackface or is this art? Why not just have a beautiful black supermodel on the cover? Should the French and more specifically other countries who don’t have the same kind of sadistic historical treatment of Blacks like in America, have to tiptoe around racial issues that wouldn’t offend the majority in their country? Do they have to pay for crimes that racist Americans committed? And if they should, should Americans as well be extra-sensitive to seemingly harmless stereotypical portrayals of race when that race does not have a prevalent history of victimization in our own country?

First of all, blackface itself aggrandized negative characteristics associated with blacks. It arose in the 19^th century in the US and Britian, and the characters belonged to the plantation genre. There was the mammy, the mistress, the pickaninnies, the house slave, and they were coons to be laughed at by whites at minstrel shows. The skin color was accentuated, the lips were made more red, the whites of the eyes were emphasized, and the Negro dialect was imitated.

once he puts on the black paint, he becomes an irrational buffoon

But looking at these images in French Vogue, I don’t necessarily see it in the same way I would see blackface propaganda. While even thinking about a white person covering herself in black make-up is shocking, these photos don’t have the same agenda as blackface performance. It is more artistic and beautiful than funny and coon-like. Primarily, in blackface the “ugliness” of blacks is amplified, and in this picture, the woman is beautiful. Beauty and Blackness were not correlations made to buttress racially hegemonic ideals.

But, why do we need a white woman to be in blackface for the image to be beautiful? Vogue already has a history of not putting black models on the covers, or only in the summer issues because the majority of their customers wouldn’t buy them. And in many letters to the Editor after Michelle Obama was featured on the cover, even though it was for politics, many readers were pissed that Vogue would put someone so unmodel-like and fashionless on the cover, e.g. black woman on the cover. Is the photographer saying something about art, or about masks? Is blackness only beautiful when it is false, or is blackness only beautiful when we see there is some underlying white characteristic? Hmmmmm.

Most of the reaction to these images have been shock by the fashion world and its readers. Especially in the wake of the recent reality show in Australia in which white performers sang Jackson Five songs in blackface and called themselves the Jackson Jive. Harry Connick Jr. was so pissed he gave them a zero.

Jackson Jive, just look over your shoulders honey... Oooooh!

But like Australia, France hasn’t had the same intricacies with racism towards African-Americans. France’s hegemonic power was largely enforced in North Africa, sometimes in the Caribbean, and the majority of their racism was geared toward Arabs. Additionally, America is one of the few countries that premised its’ mission of colonization on the assertion that African-Americans were sub-human. However, countries like France and Britian entertained the idea that through education and culture, the “inferior races” could be assimilated and acculturated into their society. In Macualay’s Famous Minute on Education he stated that the British wanted to have “Indians in blood and colour but European in thought and intellect.” Additionally, during the Harlem Renaissance many black writers and activists such as Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Jessie Fauset, Josephine Baker, and James Baldwin, ex-patriates if you will, left the States for France specifically because it wasn’t racist and they felt free.

are we gonna get in a huff because the french put josephine baker in a banana skirt? is this minstrelcy or art?

So do the French and any other country without a perverse history of racism towards African-Americans really have to be held to the same politically correct standard as the racist Americans who started the whole damn thing anyway? Are we limiting freedom of speech (blackface) because the Americans fucked up?

And if you agree that no country should endorse the use of blackface for art, humour, etc. is it because it is a badge of victimization for blacks or is it because no one should be imitating a different race for humor? A couple years ago when I was teaching a class on Television and Literary Genres which focused on humor, we watched a few Dave Chappelle episodes from “Chappelle’s Show.” We specifically watched the episodes in which he performed comedy in Whiteface.

"since reparations have been paid to blacks the crime rate has fallen to zero, wait that can't be true, did the Mexicans get paid too? Ooops am i still on the air?"

When Dave is in whiteface he speaks in a stereotypically white way, is mildly racist, and is sexually repressed and impotent. After watching the episodes I asked my students if they were offended (they were all white) and they said no. And then I asked why is it that blackface is offensive and whiteface isn’t? They came up with the conclusion that it has to do with the history of victimization of blacks. When people are in blackface it connotes black inferiority, yet whiteface does not do the same because it would be historically inaccurate, because whiteness is seen as superior in America. I was even thinking about racial slurs, and even the one for whiteness, “cracker,” isn’t a term of inferiority per se because it alludes to a slavemaster who cracks the whip on the back of slave. So even the term itself is laden with dominance and power. Hmmmmm.

i am ashamed i did see the movie, but i do love my wayans! -white chicks

Why isn’t it offensive to make fun of a race, and you could even extend this to class or gender, when that race, class, or gender, in respect to its counterparts, is the most dominant, powerful, or not had a history of victimization? Thoughts?

Un film del 2011, regia di Michel Gondry, con Jack Black / Dave Chappelle. Prodotto da ()

Fantascienza

Una coppia di amici si trova a disporre di una macchina in grado di tramutare i pensieri in realtà, sconvolgendo in questo modo il tempo e lo spazio così come normalmente vengono concepiti.

Scram! Go away! I’m trying to live in trash, here!

(pic is from here)

Cold Blooded