Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Who knew?

Cinema Retro http://www.learnaboutmovieposters.com/newsite/LAGNIAPPE/CinemaRetro/CinemaRetro.asp always comes up with interesting stories. Here's a quote from a piece about stand up comics who plagiarize (they cite the New York Post as source material).

As any stand-up comedian will tell you, comedy is serious business. Comics have an unwritten code of honor that states "Thou Shalt Not Steal Another Comedian's Joke". . Among the next generation of comedians, however, the practice is akin to an author committing plagiarism...In the new book Comedy at the Edge, author Richard Zoglin interviews prominent comedians who were allegedly ripped off by their equally prominent peers. Comic David Brenner recalls being so infuriated with Robin Williams "sampling" some of his best lines that he threatened the beloved funnyman with bodily harm. Radar magazine recently ran an in-depth article on this phenomenon and found that Williams' presence in the audience of a comedy club often necessitated a warning signal to the comedian on stage to refrain from using any lines he did not want to hear coming out of Williams' mouth in the weeks to come. Williams must be out of the habit of visiting such clubs in recent years as evidenced by the response to his latest "comedies".

3 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

I thought the movie, of several years ago now, about how Jerry Seinfeld prepares a standup show was fascinating. Putting yourself through preparation in front of a live audience was achingly frightening.

I. Michael Koontz said...

Robin Williams is quite possible the least funny person on this planet right now.

I mean it. There are 2 billion Chinese who could make me laugh my ass off before Williams could get me to crack a smile.

Not only is he NOT funny, he somehow manages to suck the humor out of any situation as well. He is, literally, the Black Hole of comedy. Carl Sagan could write a book about the guy, only he's dead and Williams is not funny.

However, in dramas Robin Williams always terrific. How the hell does this happen?

Cap'n Bob said...

I don't care for Williams as a comedian or dramatic actor. Then again, I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell. Maybe I'm just an old sourpuss.