Comic Overkill
Comic Overkill by Roxanne McDonald
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As Eric on “That 70s Show” would say, “What the hell?” What is the deal with the weaker comics who overdo their sets getting through to the top ten instead of our favs? |
I know, I know. I asked this last week during part one of the top ten selection.
But do ya think ya could leave the decisions up to the larger audience that is America—a group that laughs when shit is funny?
I’m thinking that right there would be the indication.
But okay, we need a few to go home first in the finals, so I will let all the politics go.
For now.
This week, again, was part II of the semis: of the sixteen comics, the second group of 5 will join the first group of five…to make up ten for the finals.
After Bill Bellamy tells some white people jokes, the sixteen do their slamming thing. I’m out of breath and I’m just sitting on my fat ass watching.
John Reep does some aggressive bit on America as all about red, white, and blue: red neck, white trash, blue collar…and I am delightedly chuckling, able to identify as I am with two of the three.
Fiona O’Loughlin does an our family is so big… bit that receives okay attention.
Ryan Hamilton—the white Chris Rock who exaggerates his already exaggerated facial features—is hilarious before he even steps onstage, telling us with his white, white collar, white bread looks and persona how it is hard not to anticipate groupies at this point…for it comes with the bad-boy image. He is just brilliant with original one-eye lasik (sp) surgery jokes for the crowd, who loves him.
Gerry Dee does a complex but easy to follow set involving the parallels of bars and churches, of choosing drinks and choosing chicks. It works well and he gets big, raucous laughs to go with his big raucous personality.
Thea Vidale endears herself. She opens with a travel bit but segues into some fresh and funny relationship humor: We broke up for religious reasons, she says. He failed to worship me.
Dwayne Perkins, who will be copied by another in the interview segment or who has copied, or whatever, says that more people can see you on one “Last Comic Standing” show than all those seeing you in ten years at clubs. He does a brilliant bit analogizing women who treat guys as “good friends” with the potential boss at an interview: Um, yeeah, great resume, perfect experience, but…we’re gonna give it to the guy with
the drinking problem…. And do you mind if we call you every once in awhile to complain about him?
Just precious stuff.
Matt Kirshen opens with his same “relax…, I am not really a child” number, but he wows the hell out of them anyway. He does so well with the self-effacing about his looks material.
Amy Schumer brings on the energetic approach, talking about how it’s exciting to be there, exciting to be in love, but how there is an exception when they want different things in the bedroom. Not much laughing—again replaced by wooing and clapping, which I think is not a good response to COMEDY—but then she dials it up and gets some decent laughs.
Sean Rouse does deadpan about death of loved ones humor, and while I dig this near Newhart style, with the great way of delivery by halting and stalling, not a big enough number of people are gonna “get” his sick humor for long.
Lavell Crawford continues with his I’m so fat comedy, and has a personified seatbelt—all stretched out—joke that kills, but the angry man schtick doesn’t yet quite work for him (as well as it does for, say, Bernie Mac, with the Mac stare and scowl and pause for laughs bit he does so damned well). But development and growth seem to make Lavell a potential.
Greg Warren does one joke. One long, long, long, long joke—prompting nothing more from me than the title of this week’s recap.
Andi Smith also delivers deadpan, ala Margaret Smith: brilliant, snarky, and snide…just slightly green. But still, I like her. The audience does, too.
Arj Barker delivers the jaded smack talk with regards to lessons he has learned about facts not made apparent—like how the Camel cigarettes mascot is NOT a camel but a horse with a big ol tumor.
Chuck Roy brings on his nose-breathing uhhhhh, doi presence, states that he is also a Navy Seal…. Then joshes that no not really; he just plays video games with Navy Seal characters who get all screwed up because of him. Some adorable stuff, really, and the crowd looooves him.
Jane Condin continues her style of Connecticut house mother who is shockingly perverse and is going to tell us everything she knows about sex. But getcha hopes up, she quips.
Mel Silverback is funniest when he is making fun of the fact that he is making fun…in that gorilla head and hands (or is it paws?) suit, cum powder blue lounge lizard tuxedo. I have no words for his set. None.
Okay, so now it is time to let go of almost every comic who made the crowd laugh hardest, time to forgive the ways that are big TV production values or whatever and forget every comic I have just told you the audience adores:
Final Five
Gerry Dee
LaVell Crawford
John Reep
Amy Schubert
Mat Kirshen
Well, okay. I can be happy with two of my favorites being in the top five, I suppose, though in an ideal world where the funniest comedy show is the only comic reality show (intentionally, anyway), the ten finalists would be the ten funniest comics.
Sigh.
SirLinksAlot Last Comic Standing links
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I agree. The funniest comics did not advance. John Caprulo, Tommy Johnagin, Andi Smith & Thea Vidale are funnier than John Reep, Doug Benson, Ralph Harris & Gina Yashere. How many relatives did Ralph Harris have in the audience in order to advance?
Comment by bringthefunny — July 31, 2007 @ 10:51 am
SO right on, Bringthefunny. Those comics you name are the ones who were my favorites, as well! What do we have to do, huh? Start our own no-politics-allowed stand-up show?
And start with less arbitrary forwarding criteria–whatever that is now: most easily mocked? Most desperate?
Okay, not all. Lavelle and Matt are pretty damned funeee.
Respect.
RM
Comment by roxanne — August 13, 2007 @ 1:23 am