Comedy news and views from Jeff Kreisler, with an IFC twist.
Drop him a line at sketchy (at) ifc dot com.
Up For Debate
Goings and Comings
By Jeff Kreisler on 11/17/2009
Filed under: Industry News, Up For DebateSad news x 2 for the comedy community: 1. Beloved Boston comic Kevin Knox passed away after a long battle with cancer. 2. Ken Ober - known to many as host of MTV's Remote Control - also moved on. A friend of many in the community, this news showed the annoying/creepy side of social networking, as rumors of both of his passing and the falsity of those rumors and the falsity of those rumors and accusations and blame and noise momentarily overshadowed the loss. Sorry to start it off on a bummer, but I don't think death is such a... MORE »
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Panel Review - TV Writing in the Internet Age
By Jeff Kreisler on 11/10/2009
Filed under: Festivals, On The Tube, Review-ish, Up For Debate
The New York Comedy Festival event I thought had the most "Details Are Sketchy" potential was Keeping It Fresh: Television Writing In The Internet Age. Oooh, internet, writing, comedy! That's us! Held at the Paley Center for Media (if you haven't been, you should go) on Friday evening (just when I returned from hell, a.k.a. Milwaukee and Cincinnati) the panel displayed a fairly broad swath* of TV comedy - Rory Albanese (Executive Producer of The Daily Show), Jim Downey (writer for SNL [most of their political stuff]), Al Jean (Executive Producer of The Simpsons), and Peter Tolan (Co-creator and EP... MORE »
Milwaukee Ha Ha?
By Jeff Kreisler on 11/04/2009
Filed under: Around The World, Up For Debate
No, really. I am in Milwaukee for a couple days. Performing at Marquette and UW Oshkosh. I got to thinking... Besides Laverne & Shirley, most seasons of the Brewers (especially the Red Necks and Jeffrey Leonard years), and the accents, what's so funny about Milwaukee? This site gives me some comedy around. There are a couple clubs, some improv, some sketch groups... but is there anything amazing here? Who's "come out of" Milwaukee? This type of town has got to produce some under-the-radar gems, so who are they? And, furthermore, let's maybe start a little breakdown of comedy cities in... MORE »
The Times, It Is A-Laughing
By Jeff Kreisler on 11/03/2009
Filed under: Up For Debate
I tend to keep an eye on the MSM coverage of comedy. Having been exposed the UK comedy scene - where the big papers and the BBC routinely include comedy and comedians as major cultural forces - I'm curious to see what happens here. The intrusion of the Stewart-Colbert-Maher line into tradition media's role as information provider, the rise of comedy coverage and content online, the steady flow of laid off "real job" holders into the comedy ranks... all must be adding pressure to newsrooms to at least take a look into the ha-ha arts. The New York Times, for... MORE »
Making a Mess... On Stage
By Jeff Kreisler on 10/29/2009
Filed under: On Stage, Up For Debate
I was at a show last night with Elephant Larry. Very funny group. They made a mess on stage. Crumbled, mashed in cookies, cream, cupcakes, mush, goo, crumbs everywhere. I've seen The Apple Sisters routinely spray corn, melon, and water everywhere. I caught New Excitement dumping coffee, spit, blood, and food all over their play space, too. Those are just a few of the sketch groups that routinely make a mess on stage. My questions for you are: - What other groups do that regularly? (Answers including "Gallagher" or "Gallagher 2" will result in disqualification... from life). - Do you... MORE »
World's Largest Sketch Event: Halloweeen
By Jeff Kreisler on 10/22/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Up For Debate
It's coming. Halloween. Great Pumpkins, fun-sized candy, and pretending to be someone else. Everyone plays, lowers his or her inhibitions, and gets candy... in one form or another... rrrow. (Seriously, there's a lot of Halloween action). The Halloween costumes are what make it special to me, though, frankly I like to think of them as characters, not costumes. I don't ask, "What are you going as?" but rather, "Who are you going as?" (Okay, wow. I just realized that's totally pretentious of me, isn't it? I'll stop. But at least I use bad grammar - should be "As whom are... MORE »
Past, Present, & Future
By Jeff Kreisler on 10/07/2009
Filed under: Industry News, Up For Debate
Past There's more to Monty Python than previously reported We're gonna air EVERY G-DDAMN'D FLYING CIRCUS EPISODE. Yeah, it's earned my first ever ALL CAPS on this blog. You better watch it, mister. Seriously, this is gonna be sweet. If you thought that whole MIghty Boosh thing was a revelation, welcome to this. The details, thanks to Cynopsis: ""Python-a-thon" begins October 18-23 consisting of the original six-part docu-series Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) each night at 9p followed by a Python feature film at 10p and capped off by an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus at... MORE »
Monty Python! Monty Python! Monty Python!
By Jeff Kreisler on 10/05/2009
Filed under: The Big Screen, Up For Debate
I'm not going to lie to you: I love Monty Python. As a student of comedy, I know their contribution to the art form is undeniable. As a person, I know their contribution to my life is, too (from watching the TV shows with my dad, replaying the movies with buddies, reading "All The Words" 500 times, to meeting Terry Jones and having him blurb my book[!]... it's been a thrill). So, this is going to be a good month for me and the 10 billion other Monty Python fans. Add to that the 100 billion other humans who are... MORE »
SNL Debut & "Fallout"
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/29/2009
Filed under: On The Tube, Up For DebateSaturday Night Live's 35th season kicked off this weekend. It was alright, but sorta as meh as expected. One thing's now crystal clear, the best pieces are almost always the Digital Shorts... perhaps because they're 3 minutes or less, tightly edited, and to the point? Live sketches, take note! Of course, the buzz after the show was that new cast member Jenny Slate dropped the F-Bomb. Even CNN covered it. Yawn. Why we shouldn't care: a. It was in a Biker Chick sketch that included every clean version of the word possible. b. The "fallout" is a remnant of both... MORE »
Satire, Film, Life
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/24/2009
Filed under: The Big Screen, Up For Debate
As some of you know, this summer I published my first book, "Get Rich Cheating," a satire of corporate crime and capitalist culture. You should buy it. It's great. As most of you know, Michael Moore just premiered his new film, "Capitalism: A Love Story," a satire of... corporate crime... and capitalist culture. Sound familiar? Did to me, too. On Tuesday, he had a few invite only screenings down at Battery Park, about a poison-tipped arrow's shot from Wall Street. I thought I should crash it. This is what happened. Ran home, got my giant poster of my book cover,... MORE »
Fall Blues... and News
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/17/2009
Filed under: Industry News, Up For DebateDon't know about you, but I always find the Fall to be a difficult creative time. The freedom & time travel (i.e. pretending it's between Junior and Senior year again) of summer has faded, everything's dying, and we have to "gather our nuts"/"reassess our lives" for the coming winter. It's hard to find positive vibes in all that... especially when there are already some f'ing Christmas decorations in my 'hood (seriously). So, creative folks, how do you combat the Fall Blues? Do you drink, stay under the covers an extra hour, and avoid talking to people? That's not working for... MORE »
Fall Comedy Preview
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/15/2009
Filed under: Industry News, On The Tube, Up For Debate
Fall funny season kicked into high gear this week, starting Sunday with MTV's Kanye West Awards. Here's a quick Details Are Sketchy look at some of the "highlights": The Jay Leno Show (NBC) I'm not a huge fan of Leno, I'm not a huge fan of knocking 5 hours of potential programming off the table, and I'm not a huge fan of over-hyped anything. That said, I like that Leno will try some new formatting, I like that Leno will bring in a bunch of lesser-known comedians and let them express their unique voices (where do I send my reel?),... MORE »
Comedy Comparison
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/10/2009
Filed under: Review-ish, Up For DebateWARNING: Broad Generalizations Ahead When I travel, I'm always asked what the difference is between US comedy audiences and foreign audiences (usually in the UK). I don't think that's right question. That's looking for criticism of the American public. Instead, I think we need to ask what the difference is between American and foreign comedy. The answer may be found in the lack of U.S. comedy criticism. Many comedians see the Edinburgh Fringe Fest as a chance to "take exams," to try to pass to the next level. Each year comedy acts write a new hour, an entirely new show.... MORE »
IFC Sketch Comedy Contest!!!
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/01/2009
Filed under: Up For Debate, Video
Okay, this is very cool. We here at IFC have just launched the Sketchember Sketch Comedy Contest. Sketch groups: Go here now & enter. You've got until September 20 to do so. Basically, we're looking for the best sketch comedy video out there. The winner gets broadcast on IFC and receives an all-expense paid trip to NYC to attend the premier of "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)." There are other cool prizes, too. So, check it out, send in your video, and good luck. Hooray Sketchtember!! p.s. and don't forget about NYC! IFC star Jon Dore at... MORE »
Life After SNL: Winners and Losers
By Jeff Kreisler on 07/30/2009
Filed under: On The Tube, Up For Debate
You could argue -- as I have -- that "Saturday Night Live" doesn't consistently produce the best sketch comedy. But you can't argue that over its 32 years, it's produced the most sketch comedy, and utilized the skills of billions of comedic actors in the process. Not all of them went on to make "Beverly Hills Cop," "Shrek" or a successful run for the U.S. Senate. While even a brief moment on SNL is a huge break, it doesn't guarantee success. I can fully imagine leaving the show and waiting, waiting, waiting for some "big thing" to happen and, when... MORE »
News of some media: Cable, big screen, and DVD
By Jeff Kreisler on 07/15/2009
Filed under: Industry News, On The Tube, Up For Debate
FX Network picks up a comedy. It's animated, it's funny, and it's from the wonderful Jon Benjamin, whose growing power, acclaim, and respect makes me a little... uncomfortable... SNL sketches that should have been movies? Buzzfeed lists five. Considering the very mixed success of previous SNL-sketch-to-big-screen ventures ("Blue's Brothers" and "Wayne's World," yes... but I dare you to name two more hits [if you submit "Superstar," I swear to all that is holy... I will cut you]) I say none of them (brevity is the soul of wit, though I suppose brevity doesn't get international distribution rights). If I had... MORE »
A little news, a little BSP Bernie
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/30/2009
Filed under: Festivals, Industry News, Up For Debate
Not too much happening these days - bit of a lull between the early summer festivals and the late summer action (Montreal, NY Fringe, Edinburgh, etc). Some just some tidbits and a couple thoughts on Bernie Madoff... 1. Cracked provides a flow chart to determine if you're in a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. It's right here. Did you hear that "Bruno" is coming out? Did you? 2. The other movie you've been waiting for - you know, "The Smurfs" - is going to be live action and in 3D? It's out December 2010... let the line-forming and mushroom eating begin!... MORE »
Death Becomes Me
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/18/2009
Filed under: Up For DebateBeen knocked out cold by this nasty flu. Apologies to those waiting on final wrap up of sketchfestnyc. It's coming. Promise. MORE »
Web Video - When Is It Too Soon?
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/02/2009
Filed under: On Stage, Up For Debate, Video
(Apologies for posting lapse. Been traveling with the book [in LA tonight, M Bar at 7pm]. Will be back "normal" next week). There's a video making the rounds of "early" Sarah Silverman doing stand up comedy. First of all, it's not that early. She's on TV, for cripes sake, on A&E's "Evening at The Improv." Secondly, you want to see early stand up comedy? Take a trip around YouTube and click on names you don't know. I challenge you to make it through 3 whole performances. Having just gotten this vid, it reminded me of an ongoing discussion I've had... MORE »
San Francisco Sketch Comedy, Part 2 of 2
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/28/2009
Filed under: Around The World, On Stage, Up For Debate
I'm still in San Francisco, at the Punchline and doing a reading for my new book "Get Rich Cheating" Saturday afternoon. I started my comedy career here, and I maintain that this is the place for original, smart, engaging comedy. I can't imagine learning anywhere else. In part two of my peak inside the S.F. sketch comedy scene (see part one here), I talked to Paco Romane & Jan Wolankse of Killing My Lobster (Lobster) and James Reichmuth of Kasper Hauser (KH), two of my favorite sketch groups of all time. I asked questions, they gave answers, I edited, and... MORE »
San Francisco Sketch Comedy, Part 1 of 2
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/27/2009
Filed under: Around The World, Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Up For Debate
I'm in San Francisco this week, performing at the Punchline and doing a reading for my new book "Get Rich Cheating" Saturday afternoon. I started my comedy career here (minus a forgettable night at a Mexican restaurant in Virginia), and I maintain that this is the place for original, smart, engaging comedy. I love it, and I can't imagine learning anywhere else. I didn't do much sketch when I was here -- buncha improv -- but the sketch comedy scene has always had a strong presence, and I wanted to find out how it's going now. I turned to three... MORE »
Improv v. Stand up (v. Sketch)
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/18/2009
Filed under: On Stage, Up For DebateMy old friend David Spark recently reposted an article he wrote years ago comparing improv comedy to stand up. Read it here. It's relevant to this blog because a. Sketch is, in many ways, the middle ground. At the most basic level, stand up is a single person doing mostly prepared material. Improv is several people doing mostly unprepared material. Sketch is a group of people doing prepared material. b. Most sketch and stand up comes out of improv moments, whether structured or accidental. Improv is the building block of comedy. c. Improv has regained prominence in the last 6... MORE »
Revisiting "50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time"
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/13/2009
Filed under: On The Tube, Up For DebateJust doing a little tooling around the series-of-tubes, looking for some interesting sketch comedy news, and came across something I'd forgotten about: Last April, Nerve.com and IFC* came together to list the "50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time." Check it out here. This is what we said at the time:* There's no more sure-fire way to kill something's intrinsic comedic value than to try to examine what makes it funny. The minute you start thinking, you stop laughing.* ... Any list is bound by the limitations set on it -- consciously and unconsciously -- by its creators: we kept... MORE »
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