I don't assume that a lot of people think I'm funny. Humor is ambiguous as beauty. And probably, no one laughs at my jokes like I do. I don't think the "Rodent Reunion Center" is funny in and of itself, but I do think it's funny when my wife comes home from work and sees the decorated box in the kitchen and then we have to go through a round of interrogation to determine exactly why the cardboard house exists.
The other night I saw on TV that the "Drake" kid from that Nickelodeon show "Drake and Josh" got nailed by a car while he was sitting at a red light. For some reason it's stuck on my brain (I guess, the tragedy that a promising career may be cut off so easily). I think he broke his back and his jaw and they described it as "near fatal." As to why I know who Drake is and you probably don't: we have our TV on Nickelodeon pretty much all day long. He comes on just about every commercial break. (An aside: The worst thing in the world is when you decide to be a tyrant and say "For once, I'm going to watch what I want" and then it turns out that The Rugrats actually are the best thing on at the moment. And I'm too poor for Tivo.)
But Drake has been doing sketch comedy for kids for quite some time. I'm not saying he's fantastic, but if he spends half his life performing comedy, I would guess that he'll be able to effectively deliver a joke once he hits full maturity. And when I scan the comedy landscape these days, I don't see much promise.
A lot of the comedy legends are getting very old; Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Bill Cosby. A lot of times it is painful to see them attempt to be vivaciously funny. And who is here to replace them? Ben Stiller? Go away, Ben Stiller. The Rock is ten times the entertainer you will ever be. That's right, the wrestler. If the current cast of Saturday Night Live is a representation of our best, then these are truly dark times.
Mike Judge seems to take his sweet time with everything, Dave Chapelle seems to be questioning if it's worth it, Conan O'Brien is stretched thin, and Jack Black, well... the big ones never seem to hang around for long.
Have you seen the trailer for that movie "Grandma's Boy?" An Adam Sandler movie without Adam Sandler? I'm going to have to give it the preemptive "wait for it on video."
Part of the problem may also be that TV networks don't give shows a chance to develop. Most shows get canceled if they are not instant sensations. Imagine if the decision to cancel The Simpsons was based on their first season. They wouldn't have evolved into one of the funniest shows in history.
I'm sure good comedy will pop up here and there, but it seems we've got slim pickings at the moment. We can't afford to have our comedians-in-training being run down in the street. Drake should do the physical comedy till his bones are dust. You can live with the pain to fulfill your life's ambition. That's what The Rock would do.
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2 comments:
Don't worry about your sense of humor. At least one person is laughing along with you. And I'm only imagining what the conversation was like when your wife came home and saw the rodent reunion center.
Chappelle I think is still in the game. But it looks like he's just doing stand up.
Thank god Jon Stewart is going strong.
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