Allie Brosh: Stand-Up Comedy in Book Form

As far as blogs go, few have been funnier than Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh’s autobiographical offering that manages to maintain its overall hilarity despite occasionally dealing with difficult topics like crippling depression. A mix of humorously written posts and intentionally crude drawings, Brosh has amassed legions of fans over the past decade, with her site often being called one of the funniest on the internet and her posts shared widely on social media. Brosh herself has even been called one of the most creative and influential people on the internet, this despite “living like a recluse in her Bend, Oregon, bedroom” as she puts it. In 2013 Brosh sat down with NPR’s Terry Gross for an interview on Fresh Air. Asked about her writing style, here’s what Brosh had to say:

“I would describe it as stand-up comedy in book form. I feel like my writing style is sort of the result of me subconsciously trying to replicate the feel of stand-up comedy. I was very frustrated when I first started writing that there wasn’t that physicality to it. It was more one-dimensional than stand-up comedy, in which you can rely on tone and facial expressions, body posture. And I wanted to find some way to commit that to the page. Drawing fixed all of those problems.”

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When Dan Aykroyd Lost John Belushi

It retains a cult following to this very day, and remains at the top of many a movie fan’s favorite list. The Blues Brothers, released 40 years ago, was a big stepping stone for stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. And as crazy as the movie was at times, there were some even crazier stories to come from the set. Here’s a tale as told by Dan Aykroyd, about a time he and the crew simply lost John Belushi.

We lost John one night. But it wasn’t because he was high, it was because he was hungry and didn’t like what was available to eat on set. I couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally, I saw this path going through a parking lot and into a nearby neighbourhood so I followed it. The neighbourhood was dark except for one house. I knock on the door and say, “Excuse me, we’re shooting a movie and missing one of our actors.” The guy goes, “Oh, Belushi? He came in about an hour ago, raided my fridge and crashed on my couch.”

For those who want to know more about the behind the scenes antics, more stories from Aykroyd and director John Landis can be found in a full length interview in The Guardian. It’s well worth the read for Blues Brothers fans and comedy fans alike.

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Oyinkan Braithwaite Talks About Sisterhood, in the Context of Murder

You’d be forgiven to think that My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s acclaimed 2018 Novel about a pair of sisters, one of which has this awful little habit of killing her boyfriends, Would read more like a thriller than a comedy. And yet, the book made it to Esquire’s list of the 32 funniest books of all time! Braithwaite sat down for an interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books back in 2019, and when asked about the family dynamics in her darkly hilarious story, here’s where she said the inspiration came from:

“The sisters came to me first. Everything else grew out of them and their relationship. Once I understood who they were to one another, it was left for me to imagine why they were that way, how much of who they were was genetic and how much was as a result of what they had been through.

As for when they came to me, I wrote a poem in 2007 about two friends; and the relationship of the characters in the poem was somewhat similar to that of Korede and Ayoola. But unlike with a friendship, you don’t get to choose who your siblings are; you are stuck with them from the get-go, and something about this is fascinating, especially because your siblings have a huge impact on who you will become.”

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Will We Soon See More Stanley Hudson?

When The Office aired its series finally in 2013, we were all a little sad for a number of reasons. Among those reasons was the fact that we wouldn’t get any more wise cracks from Stanley Hudson, the resident Dunder Mifflin grouch who still managed to warm our hearts on occasion. Played by Leslie David Baker for the show’s nine seasons, Stanley Hudson may just find his way back to the screen, however.

Baker teased Stanley’s TV reappearance on Instagram, recently, announcing an upcoming project: Uncle Stan: Coming Out of Retirement. When last we saw Stanley Hudson, he had retired to Florida, only to return for the premiere of the documentary and Dwight’s wedding.

“After several years of enjoying a relatively uneventful retirement lifestyle, Uncle Stan receives an urgent call for help from his favorite nephew, Lucky: a recent widower with two small children and a motorcycle repair/flower shop in Los Angeles. Soon Uncle Stan finds himself dishing out all the support and guidance he has to offer in his new California home,” Baker announced on Instagram.

For now we have few details about the project, and many of the details we do have may be little more than speculation. Still, the prospect of Stanely’s return has excited many an Office fan, and you can rest assured we’ll likely hear more about the project in the near future.

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Catherine O’Hara’s Remarkable Relationship to an SNL Alum

If she hasn’t done so already, Catherine O’Hara has ensured her place among comedy royalty thanks to her stellar performance in Schitt’s Creek, the recently ended comedy series that was picked up by Netflix in 2017. But O’Hara’s storied career in comedy may have never come were it not thanks to a special relationship with another member of comedy royalty: SNL alum Gilda Radner.

O’Hara’s brother, you see, was dating Radner, and would occasionally bring her over to O’Hara’s home for family dinner.The family loved her, and when Radner came over, said O’Hara in an interview with Vanity Fair, “my mom would definitely break out the good plates.”

Radner had recently been accepted into the original Toronto cast of the musical Godspell, and feeling inspired, O’Hara auditioned as well. While O’Hara didn’t land a role (“That’s okay, it’s fine, still bitter!” she joked.) it didn’t stop her from pursuing more roles, ultimately embarking on a career that’s seemingly at its height right now.

But O’Hara’s relationship with Radner went beyond influencing her career, Radner became like a sister to young O’Hara. “She had me sleep over one night and then in the morning, we sat there at her little kitchen table with a pretty cloth,” says O’Hara. “We had tea and pumpernickel bread with cream cheese and cucumbers. You come from the suburbs—something like that is so cool and chic and exotic.” The story is one of many O’Hara fondly shared throughout the interview, a heartwarming tale of friendship and inspiration among comedy legends.

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Honest Abe’s Funny Side

He may be best remembered as the 16th President of the United States of America, but Abraham Lincoln was quick with a quip, well spoken and witty, and responsible for some of the funniest statements ever made by a sitting President. Here are just a handful of hilarious Abraham Lincoln quotes to brighten your day with a smile and a chuckle.

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”

“How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

“I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”

“There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.”

“I laugh because I must not cry, that is all, that is all.”

“Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”

“I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”

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Lucille Ball: Forever Changing Comedy

What would the modern sitcom be without someone like Lucille Ball? Alongside her then-husband Desi Arnaz, Ball became a household name when it came to comedy thanks to I Love Lucy, which ran from 1951 to 1957 and remains a favorite among many to this very day. In addition to the show being nothing short of hilarious, it was also revolutionary for a number of reasons. For starters, it was the first sitcom to be filmed before a live studio audience, allowing the audience to react to such memorable moments as the candy conveyor belt or the grape-squashing scene. I Love Lucy was also the first show of its kind to use a three-camera setup, allowing for a seamless flow from scene to scene.

Thanks to syndication (and we should mention that I Love Lucy was also one of the first TV shows ever to be sold into syndication) the show can still be enjoyed to this very day thanks to reruns, and back in 2012 CBS was reported to still be making as much as $20 million a year from I Love Lucy syndication deals. While it’s true that not all the credit for the show’s success can go to Ball herself, what could the show have ever been without its shining star? And how different would the world of comedy have been were it not for the invaluable contribution Lucille Ball made?

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Another Shot at a New Police Academy Movie?

Just over a quarter century after its release, Police Academy was just one of many franchises considered for a sequel or a reboot in the rush to remake all things Hollywood. The project languished in development, however, and never really gained any momentum, but a decade later it’s getting another shot thanks to the streaming wars.

In an arms race to amass original content, streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have been teaming up with studios to create exclusive content. HBO, who have always prided themselves on original content, are relying on Warner Bros. Studios to do the same for their HBO Max service, all in a bid to compete with the major players which now include newcomers like Disney +. Among the project in consideration for HBO Max is, you guessed it, a Police Academy sequel which could potentially see some of the original cast reunite.

Details are sparse for the potential project, as we all expected, but given how quickly content is consumed in this day and age, not to mention the growing demand from an audience that’s increasingly opting to stream at home rather than head out to the cinema, it could be little more than a few short years before fans finally get the eighth installment they’ve been hoping for since the seventh film in the series was released way back in 1994.

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Ted Danson Says Goodbye to The Good Place

With the third seasons now streaming on Netflix and the fourth and final season airing on NBC, fans of The Good Place are getting ready for what will inevitably be a bittersweet goodbye. The show took many by surprise, delivering a brand of comedy that was at times absurd, at times heartwarming, and had us crying more often than we’d like to admit.

But the show’s end doesn’t mean the end of Danson’s relationship with NBC. In July the actor was offered the lead role in yet another straight-to-series comedy created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. The next series will see Danson starring as a wealthy businessman who unexpectedly wins an election to become mayor of L.A.

In the meantime fans are left to wonder just how The Good Place will end after four seasons of heavy emotional investment. In an interview with Adweek, here’s what Danson had to say about how the series wraps up:

“These are all things I should let an audience say after seeing it, but to me, it was incredibly satisfying on every level. The emotional path of all the characters was incredibly satisfying, and on a more spiritual universe level, it was incredibly satisfying. I really loved the last few episodes. I thought they were just brilliant.”

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Funny Christmas Reads

The holidays are just around the corner, but you know what? Sometimes they can be downright stressful. Holiday dinners, Christmas shopping, and let’s not forget the weather… Wouldn’t it be nice to unwind and relax? Yes, it would be, and just in time for the holidays here are three Christmas books that’ll give you a good laugh.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. The 20th book in his Discworld series, Pratchett tells the tale of the mythical creature known as the Hogfather, who bears striking semblance to our very own Father Christmas. That is, Pratchett tells the tale of the Hogfather’s absence… With nobody to grant children’s wishes and bring them presents on Hogswatchnight (December 32), Death attempts to fill in for the missing Hogfather while Susan Sto Helit, his granddaughter, attempts to find and rescue him.

Snark! The Herald Angels Sing: Sarcasm, Bitterness and the Holiday Season by Lawrence Dorfman. Filled with hilarious Christmas quotes, not to mention plenty to cover other holidays, Dorman manages to channel anything but the holiday spirit… Take for example one of the many pearls of wisdom found in the book: “Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.”—Victor Borge.

You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs. The author of Running With Scissors returns to bring us a collection of stories highlighting the best and worst Christmases ever, and how they bring out the best in us. Or the worst. Mostly the worst.

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