comedy

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Is Jon Stewart the New Edward R. Murrow?
Is Jon Stewart the New
Edward R. Murrow?
analysis
Dec 27, 2010 8:39 AM CST

Is Jon Stewart the New Edward R. Murrow?

Role in 9/11 health bill points to journalism's greats

(Newser) - By taking up a cause—the 9/11 health bill—and getting quick results, Jon Stewart is following in the footsteps of news greats and "advocacy journalists" Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, professor of television Robert Thompson tells the New York Times . Murrow helped shift public opinion on the...

With 9/11 Bill, Jon Stewart Steps Off the Sidelines

Christopher Beam: Now the question is, will he stay there?

(Newser) - Jon Stewart has always maintained he's a comedian, not a politician or an activist. But his stalwart advocacy of the 9/11 first responders bill—he may have single-handedly saved it—looks different. Stewart labeled the non-passage of the bill “an outrageous abdication of our responsibility” to the 9/11 responders....

Five Years Later, 'Truthiness' Endures

Colbert's favorite word is hotter than ever

(Newser) - It was five years ago today, and Stephen Colbert needed a word that could personify the "blowhard" persona he was about to launch on the Colbert Report. He was looking for something "sublimely idiotic," something "silly" with which to mock American pundits, writes Ben Zimmer in...

Comedian Greg Giraldo Dead at Age 44

Prescription drug OD suspected

(Newser) - Comic Greg Giraldo died today of an apparent prescription drug overdose. Best known for his work on several Comedy Central roasts and NBC's Last Comic Standing, the 44-year-old died in a New Jersey hospital days after being hospitalized. "The tragic news of Greg's passing hits us very, very hard....

Brazil Comedians: Ban on Mocking Pols a Joke

Broadcasters are set to protest

(Newser) - The Brazilian equivalents of Jon Stewart plan to gather in Rio de Janiero this weekend to protest a law that prevents them from making fun of politicians. The law—a relic from Brazil's days of authoritarian rule—outlaws ridiculing candidates for 3 months before an election, the Telegraph reports. Broadcasters...

Hollywood is Wasting Paul Rudd
 Hollywood Is Wasting Paul Rudd 
OPINION
Jul 30, 2010 1:58 PM CDT

Hollywood Is Wasting Paul Rudd

'The silly is slowly being leeched out of him'

(Newser) - Paul Rudd is Hollywood’s next big thing —but not in the way he should be, writes Elbert Ventura in a Slate piece arguing that Tinseltown is squandering the actor’s comedic talents. “Rudd's rise is well-deserved,” considering his body of work “is one of the...

Dinner for Schmucks Not Quite a Gut-Buster
 Dinner for Schmucks 
 Not Quite a Gut-Buster 
MOVIE REVIEW
Jul 30, 2010 7:23 AM CDT

Dinner for Schmucks Not Quite a Gut-Buster

Steve Carell's schmuck praised in remake of French farce

(Newser) - Dinner for Schmucks has a great premise and two top comic stars in Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, say critics, though opinions split widely on whether it's actually funny.
  • The remake of a French farce in which heartless execs compete to bring the biggest loser to dinner "is lumbering,
...

Steve Carell: Yes, I'm Leaving The Office

Sitcom star will depart after upcoming season

(Newser) - Ending weeks of speculation , Steve Carell has confirmed that he'll leave The Office when his contract expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season. "I just think it's time," the sitcom star tells E! "When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and...

Get Him to the Greek One of Year's Funniest
 Get Him to the Greek 
 One of Year's Funniest 
movie review
Jun 4, 2010 7:13 AM CDT

Get Him to the Greek One of Year's Funniest

Jonah Hill and Russell Brand score with Apatow formula

(Newser) - Jonah Hill and Russell Brand keep the critics largely amused in Get Him to the Greek, another Judd Apatow-produced flick that has a nervous record exec (Hill) trying to get a troublesome rock star (Brand) from London to NYC to LA's Greek Theatre:
  • Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle : "The
...

MacGruber a Mixed Bag
 MacGruber a Mixed Bag 
Movie Review
May 21, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

MacGruber a Mixed Bag

Low-ball comedy splits the critics

(Newser) - The latest big-screen foray by Saturday Night Live cast members has split critics, with some loving and others despising MacGruber's raunchy satire:
  • SNL movies tend to suck, “but MacGruber breaks the jinx,” writes Peter Travers of Rolling Stone . It sends up '80s action flicks “with a sense
...

Jesus Cartoon Coming to Comedy Central

God is apathetic, Christ is 30-something New Yorker in JC

(Newser) - South Park's recent Mohammad mess hasn't soured Comedy Central on religion. The network, seemingly hungry for more controversy, is developing an animated series about Jesus, writes the Hollywood Reporter . JC sees the savior trying to escape an overbearing father—God apparently plays video games constantly—and live a normal life...

Death at a Funeral Can't Win 'Em All
 Death at a Funeral 
 Can't Win 'Em All 
Movie Review
Apr 16, 2010 1:50 PM CDT

Death at a Funeral Can't Win 'Em All

Some critics love offbeat comedy remake, some hate it

(Newser) - Critics are decidedly split on Death at a Funeral, Chris Rock’s remake of a British farce that’s a scant 3 years old. Here’s what they’re saying:
  • “Death at a Funeral is proof that a well-made screenplay is indestructible,” writes Ty Burr of the Boston
...

Inside Conan's Comedy Tour
 Inside Conan's Comedy Tour 
meet 'self-pleasuring panda'
Apr 13, 2010 9:11 AM CDT

Inside Conan's Comedy Tour

O'Brien gets standing ovation at first show

(Newser) - Conan O’Brien’s long-awaited comedy tour kicked off last night to much cheering. Get in on the jokes:
  • The show, which opened in Eugene, Ore., caters to old-school Late Night fans, the “I’m With Coco” artist tells PopEater . Along with former Tonight Show band members and Andy
...

Date Night : Perfect for Date Night
 Date Night: Perfect 
 for Date Night 
Movie review
Apr 9, 2010 7:24 AM CDT

Date Night: Perfect for Date Night

Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are delicious in silly marital action-comedy

(Newser) - In Date Night, married suburbanites Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey) go for dinner in Manhattan and, through a series of predictably absurd twists, end up dodging thugs and crashing cars. This comedy-action hybrid doesn't win points for originality, but is saved—for some critics, just barely—by...

David Cross: Arrested Development Movie Is Dead

Comedian says it'd be too hard to reunite cast

(Newser) - Sorry, Arrested Development fans, David Cross has some bad news. Asked about the much-hoped-for movie version of the cult sitcom, Cross, who played Tobias Finke, tells TV Squad , “It’s not going to happen. Way too much time it’s been. I mean, there’s so many people involved....

Hot Tub Time Machine Not So Hot
  Hot Tub
 Time Machine 
 Not So Hot 
MOVIE REVIEW
Mar 26, 2010 5:06 AM CDT

Hot Tub Time Machine Not So Hot

A 'baldfaced attempt to send The Hangover back to the future'

(Newser) - With a Snakes On a Plane-quality title and an all-star lineup (John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and, yes, Chevy Chase), Hot Tub Time Machine could have been a great, bad film. But critics aren't buying this "baldfaced attempt to send The Hangover back to the future." They're...

Our Family Wedding Not a Marriage Worth Saving

Not even America Ferrera can save this film

(Newser) - Our Family Wedding, a Rick Famuyiwa film about the wedding of a Mexican-American girl (America Ferrera) to her African American boyfriend (Lance Gross) is little more than a culture-clash cliché that Claudia Puig finds about as "funny as census data." Most critics agree:
  • It's a "perfectly good
...

Comedy Club Invites Palin to Perform

VP was impressed with Tonight Show stand-up routine

(Newser) - At least one person was impressed with Sarah Palin’s stand-up routine on the Tonight Show, and he wants her to bring it to his comedy club. “Based on her appearance, Zanies Comedy Club would like to book Sarah Palin to perform at the club,” the establishment’s...

Jon Stewart Takes Spin on Chatroulette, Bumps into Katie

....and Brian Wiliams, and Keith Olbermann. Stilll, he's not a convert

(Newser) - The Daily Show's Jon Stewart tried Chatroulette last night and, viola, there were Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and a characteristically preachy Keith Olbermann, all doing hilarious bits. Not to speak of Jason Jones in a state of undress doing something we can't repeat here. Stewart claims to find...

What Jay Should Say Tonight
 What Jay Should Say Tonight 
Mar 1, 2010 1:17 PM CST

What Jay Should Say Tonight

Is there any joke that can save the big-chinned one?

(Newser) - The public has largely branded Jay Leno the villain in the Conan debacle, but if there’s anything that can repair the damage it’s a good joke right? So New York magazine asked a bunch of local comedians how The Chin should open tonight’s show. Their suggestions:
  • “
...

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