Dead Invisible People

This looks and sounds like a lost Mr. Show sketch but it actually appeared on an episode of The Jenny McCarthy Show. Apparently it was written by Jon Glaser (who appears as an invisible dead body remover).

Blinded By The Light

Believe it or not, The Vacant Lot was a sketch comedy troupe that was once considered to be an heir apparent to the Kids in the Hall’s comedy throne. Their current obscurity speaks for itself. Still, this sketch based around Manfred Mann’s largely incoherent hit Blinded By the Light still works even today. Particularly Rob Gfroerer’s outburst towards the end.




Here’s a remake of the previous sketch. I like this setting better than the poker game. Unfortunately this ending lacks the impact of the original.




Some of the other members of The Vacant Lot were Paul Greenberg who popped up as a cast member on MTV's Jenny McCarthy Show...




Also, notice Jack Plotnick, Brian Posehn and, surprisingly, Jon Glaser.



And finally, Nick McKinney was the brother of The Kids in the Hall's Mark McKinney.

I Like Andy Dick (I'm Sorry)

It may be an unpopular opinion but I’ll say it anyway: Andy Dick is underrated. If you’re able to look past his pathetic public persona you’ll find a fearless comedian who isn’t afraid to play desperate, violence prone losers who are completely unaware of just how sad they appear to other people. Just marvel at the pure intensity he brings to these characters below…

This aired on an episode of Comedy Product a short lived Comedy Central program that was hosted by Janeane Garofalo and gave such comedians as David Cross and Will Ferrell their earliest exposure. The fact that Dick’s character is called Van Hammersly indicates that this bit was probably written by Bob Odenkirk.




I hesitate to say this, but I actually prefer this Who’s On First parody to the one The Kids in Hall performed in the ‘90s.

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 6

At the time that I write this it is the year of our lord 2010. Our drinking water is 75% petroleum based, Philadelphia residents are routinely murdered by aquatic buses (or “Ducks” as their chillingly dubbed) and our movies still feel the need to reference a scene from a film that’s nearly twenty years old. Yes, in this trailer for the notly anticipated “Cats & Dogs 2: The Search For Kitty’s Gold (or whatever)”, witness as the interrogation scene is reenacted by a cast of adorable animals for some goddamned reason.

By the way, why is this being released to theaters now when it should’ve been released directly to DVD eight years ago?




Special thanks to Cinema Bizarro’s bestest buddy Louis Fowler for suggesting this clip.

Still Not Dead: Friedberg and Seltzer

After a nearly two year sabbatical, Friedberg and Seltzer return to choke the joy and laughter out of anyone stupid enough to watch their films (me and several million 14 year olds). And surprisingly all that time away from making fun of easy, dated targets hasn’t made them better writers. That Lady Gaga joke isn’t even a joke. In fact it barely functions as a reference. Although I am a little surprised, I really thought these guys would have made Avafart or Avatard rather than a parody of Twilight. Besides, I really wanted people with actual talent to tear apart that horrible phenomenon. If there is a bright side to any of this it’s nice to know that Christa Flanagan is getting work. As always, I will be cringing through this on opening day (because I am a terrible person who doesn’t deserve to enjoy nice things).

Downtown

I love to watch comedy from another country mainly because it’s so alien and indecipherable. I like it because I don’t get it. But not all foreign comedy is inexplicable. Take for example these following scenes from Japanese sketch comedy show Downtown. There’s an absurdity that is over-the-top yet quietly subtle. Downtown is yet another foreign show that should be imported to this country.

Apparently Michael Jackson’s Captain EO was known as Captain Jackson in Japan.




This sketch requires a somewhat cursory knowledge of the clichés of Japanese Sentai programs.




The 5 Rangers sketches were essentially the same but this comp reveals that just because something is repetitive doesn’t mean it can’t be inventive in some small way. The funeral one is easily my favorite sketch.






I take back what I said about Downtown earlier because the show does have it's fair share of inexplicable moments. Aho Aho Man (aka Moron Moron Man) and the AfterSchool Magnet Twins sketches only reinforce people’s narrow (but occasionally accurate) views about Japan’s cultural landscape. Nonetheless, enjoy the aggressive weirdness on display in these vaguely off-putting scenarios.

Now That's What I Call Dated: Fake Made For TV Movies About Tonya Harding

Like Monica Lewinsky, OJ Simpson and John Wayne Bobbit, Tonya Harding was a favorite (and easy) target among talk show hosts and hacky comedy writers. However, unlike her sad peers, Harding was the only one to inspire a trio of faux made for TV movies.

Comedy Central promoted this heavily and at one point ran five of these in a row before finally yanking it off the air for good. Out of the three this is probably my favorite because it’s fairly subtle and mimics the look of a made for TV movie perfectly.




This ran during the very early years of Late Night With Conan O’Brian. Scott Thompson is perfectly creepy as Harding and I like the CIA non-sequitur that Andy mumbles at the very beginning.




Technically National Lampoon’s Attack of the 5’2 Women was a real made for TV movie (it ran on Showtime). However, I’ve included it hear because it is a cheap disposable parody. As a side note the appeal of Julie Brown has always eluded me. Really, I don’t get it.