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“Lost” returns (again) tonight at its new timeslot of 10 p.m. on ABC, conveniently moving it out of the way of “The Office” and “30 Rock” for fans of those shows (like me). To get you in the mood, here’s that amusing montage that sums up the show’s three-and-a-half seasons based on a single word:
So everybody’s all jacked up about Jon Stewart coming to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on May 10. (By everybody, I’d include me, too.) No doubt Stewart will deliver the same kind of witty political satire that fuels his work as the host of the Emmy-winning “The Daily Show†and his 2004 book, America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction.
But for my money (literally), the better deal might be the appearance by “Daily Show†correspondent and stand-up comedian John Oliver at The Punchline, on June 13-15. Call me a cynic, but I can’t help but feel “The Daily Show†has suffered a small talent shortage with the departure of Stephen Colbert and what feels like a lessening role for Samantha Bee. This crop suggests quantity over quality, but that said, Oliver is best of the bunch. He seems to get more play than, say, Rob Riggle or Jason Jones.
Maybe that’s because the British-born Oliver, more than the others, is able to tap into the more nuanced peculiarities of political satire. He also gets extra credit for walking the walk during the writers’ strike. While Oliver is also known for his podcast “The Bugle†with partner Andy Zaltzman, he also will premiere his own Comedy Central stand-up special “John Oliver: Terrifying Times†on April 20. (More on that show next week; the previous link offers a hilarious snippet from the show.)
For now, here is one of my favorite examples of his “Daily Show†work, where he interviews Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations. Classic …
Nerve.com and IFC have presented one of the most entertaining, time-wasting lists in the recent history of the list-happy Internet: “The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time.” Putting aside the question of why a site best known for erotica is putting a showcase on comedy, it’s a pretty good list, with Youtube clips of most of the sketches in question. Many “Saturday Night Live” clips are apparently not available, which diminishes the SNL-centric list. It deserves props for including lesser-known pieces from the likes of “The State” and the Upright Citizens Brigade amid the more familiar cowbells, dead parrots and Rick James impersonations. Plus, at a time when anything before Star Wars is considered ancient pop culture history, this list includes such vintage bits of tomfoolery as “Who’s on first?” by Abbott & Costello, scenes from “Your Show of Shows” and “SCTV” and the surreal brilliance of “The Nairobi Trio” from “The Ernie Kovacs Show.”
Of course, any list that purports to be definitive invariably receives aggrieved questions like “Hey, why doesn’t this include MY favorite?” So I say, “Hey, why doesn’t this include ‘Girl-Drink Drunk?’ by The Kids in the Hall?” The Kids in the Hall and “Mr. Show” get the short end of the stick here, and possibly The Kids in the Hall’s most pitch-perfect sketch is “Girl-Drink Drunk,” an inspired parody of lurid substance-abuse dramas:
Hmm, I could go for a Tahitian Tee-Hee right about now, too.
Today’s Air Loaf features CL’s Curt Holman and WMLB-AM’s Max Arbes discussing the Atlanta Film Festival.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
Today’s Air Loaf features CL’s David Lee Simmons and WMLB-AM’s Max Arbes discussing this week’s cover story (out today) about big, the collaboration between Outkast’s Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet. big. $25-$125. Thurs.-Sat., April 10-12, 8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., April 12-13, 2 p.m.; Sun., April 13, 7 p.m. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. 404-817-8700. www.foxtheatre.org.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
Calling all starving artists: Idea Capital wants to help you. Due to the lack of funding from government and private organizations, Idea Capital (a work-in-progress movement started by several local art patrons) will grant an Atlanta artist a $500 grant to “encourage an experimental and investigative art project.” All genres are invited to apply: literary, visual, dance, performance, music, critical writing, film, video and new media.
This isn’t the only such grass-roots grant for artists. A similar organization, Cadre Art, was started by photographer Carla Williams in California. Artists all over the country can donate to and apply for various grants at Cadre to help foster art projects.
But back to Idea Capital. Its purpose is simple, according to its press release:
We seek to foster a new tone of experimentation and support in the Atlanta art world, as well as encourage a larger framework of support … The grant is to encourage experimentation and investigation with funds designed to give artists permission to pursue new ideas. We want to foster our community and support innovative work…We are interested in new ideas, new artists and supporting emerging and established artists.
Any artists 18 and older in the metropolitan Atlanta area are encouraged to apply. Submissions must be postmarked Fri., May 9, 2008 and the winner will be notified June 2.
Continue to the next page for submission guidelines.
Here is today’s Air Loaf featuring CL’s own Ken Edelstein and Scott Henry. Today’s discussion focuses on Henry’s recent article about the new ordinance that prohibits underage Atlantans from entering nightclubs.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
For more from Scott Henry check out Fresh Loaf.
(Photo courtesy Theatrical Outfit)
Theatrical Outfit’s ATLEXIS 2008 fundraiser offers “an evening of Words, Wit and Wisdom from Southern Literature,” of which there’s a ton, with readings and music by a host of celebrity guests Sat., APRIL 5. The most notable of the group, besides our own Mayor Shirley Franklin (natch), is actor Tony Shalhoub (right), the three-time Emmy-winning star and executive producer of TV’s “Monk.” (Shalhoub’s sister, Susan Shalhoub Larkin, is a local theater figure, and will also read.) Shalhoub will be joined by wife/actress Brooke Adams in reading from Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam and Eve. Other, more local celebs include Tom Key, Monica Pearson and Ferrol Sams, along with singer/songwriter Kate Campbell and WSB-AM’s (750) Scott Slade hosting. $110 gala tickets; VIP tickets sold out. Reception, 6 p.m.; performance, 7:30 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts and Balzer Theater, 80 Forsyth St. 678-528-1511. www.theatricaloutfit.org.
Here’s a podcast interview with Shalhoub, talking about his hit show, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and his recent movie work …
Here is today’s Air Loaf featuring CL’s own Ken Edelstein and Rodney Carmichael in the studio where the topic of discussion turns to music.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM.
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will host CNN Presents: Black in America, a series of investigative reports, beginning with a special devoted to the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death called “Eyewitness to Murder – The King Assassination,” April 3 at 9 p.m. Speaking by phone from New York in her unmistakably cheerful and warm voice, O’Brien described the perils of a journalist’s life (too much time in airports, too much Panda Express) and what America wants: “I have never once had a question where someone says, ‘Tell me more about Paris Hilton.’”
Continue reading Speakeasy.
