Three things:

1) The first video posted below features Jonathan Banks on Paul F. Tompkins’ “Speakeasy” web series reading cuss-filled versions of classic children’s fairy tales — like Robin Hood, Chicken Little, and Little Red Riding Hood — in character as Mike Ehrmantraut, his terrifying hitman/fixer character from Breaking Bad. It is exactly as terrific as you are currently imagining it is.

2) The second video posted below is the full interview, which includes Banks discussing his early work on Beverly Hills Cop, slapping Aaron Paul around a little, almost breaking Ed O’Neill’s hip on the set of Modern Family, and some of his biggest moments on Breaking Bad, namely his memorable speech in “Half Measures.” He also cracks some dry, menacing jokes and chastises Tompkins for drinking too slow, because everything is kind of perfect sometimes. Highly recommended viewing.

3) Between this and the Mark-Paul Gosselaar interview from last week, “Speakeasy” is quickly becoming my favorite web series.

Being awesome BFFs with Tina Fey at the Emmys? Check. Impersonating her son’s lisp out on national television? Check. Hosting an Emmys loser party with Jon Hamm for charity? Check.

But it seems like there’s one missing piece to the puzzle for Amy Poehler to properly promote Parks and Recreation Season 6. You guessed it: Spitting hot freestyle fire about butter on the “Comedy Bang! Bang!” podcast.

She goes on after friend of the program Scott Aukerman and Paul F. Tompkins as Alan Thick. So roughly the 4:40 mark if you want to skip ahead to Amy. I suggest sticking around for head CBB writer Neil Campbell afterwards though.

Wonderfully NSFW audio ahead.

Earwolf via Vulture

Kaitlin Olson is the latest guest on Paul F. Tompkins’s web series, Speakeasy. Over the course of the 20-minute clip, the It’s Always Sunny star touches on the following topics:

• Coming up through the ranks of the L.A. sketch comedy group, The Groundlings.
• The difference between working on a show like It’s Always Sunny that uses “mean” comedy as a way to make a point or deliver a message, and working on shows like Punk’d that used “mean” comedy to humiliate people.
• Her husband, It’s Always Sunny creator and star Rob McIEhenney, who she describes as her hero for seeing his vision for the show through, and not letting the pressure get to him.
• Raising a child who could turn out to be Dexter, and why that’s not so bad.
• The eventual end of the show’s run, which she is mostly tight-lipped about, but I am mentioning anyway for very important PAGEVIEW$$$ reasons.

The whole thing is a good watch, but it did make me realize something: I’ve apparently seen enough It’s Always Sunny that I’m now incapable of watching an interview with Kaitlin Olson without expecting the rest of the gang to come charging in and ruin it for her somehow.

Nick Roy holds the world record for most impressions in 60 seconds. That’s according to Guinness, the experts when it comes to the largest snake egg eaten AND speedy mimicries. But then Key and Peele came along on Paul F. Tompkins’s Made Man video series, attempting to trample Roy like Gandi does bad guys in Gandhi II.

In their minute, they do their best Kanye West, Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gandhi. (See, that wasn’t just an excuse to reference UHF, not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Do they succeed? Find out.

ANSWER: no, they most definitely do not. Yet they’re still winners for that Seal impression.

I don’t want anyone to accuse me of burying the lede here, so let’s get right to it: Lizzy Caplan pronounces it “GIF,” none of that “JIF” crap, therefore, it’s GIF, because it’s always been GIF, no matter what the guy who came up with term says. Anyway, Lizzy dropped by Paul F. Tompkins’s web series Made Man to show off her rage face skills, including Nicolas Cage’s “You Don’t Say?” It’s weird that Tompkins would film this: I can’t fathom why he’d think Nicolas Cage + memes + Lizzy Caplan would do well on the Internet. He knows even less than that GIF jerk.

That breeze you just felt? That was an effect of the entire Internet swooning in unison while they watched this video of Lizzy Caplan making meme faces. Which now deserves to be a meme in and of itself.

Here they all are; go nuts!

Paul F. Tompkins is an actor, comedian and writer probably best known for his work on Mr. Show and on VH1’s Best Week Ever. Currently, Paul is the host of Made Man’s Speakeasy with Paul F. Tomkins (if you’ve never checked it out I highly recommend the episodes with Lizzy Kaplan and Key & Peele), in addition to hosting a podcast, the Pod F. Tompkast, and No, YOU Shut Up for Fusion. You can also catch him on the road — a list of upcoming live performance dates can be found here.

Paul was nice enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule recently to answer a few questions from us.

1. You walk into a bar. What do your order from the bartender?

Something with dry ice, so the other patrons will wonder if I’m from the future. The drink doesn’t have to be blue, but it couldn’t hurt.

2. Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter?

David Rees.

3. What’s currently waiting for you on your DVR/TiVO?

The Ken Burns documentary about The Dust Bowl. Just waiting for that day when I’m super-psyched to watch hours and hours of impoverished people caked in grime!

4. It’s your last meal — what are you going out with?

It depends—am I being executed? If I’m lethally injected, I don’t want to eat anything that gives me weird dreams as I drift off forever into nothingness. Maybe peach melba? I don’t know. What crime did I commit? This is bumming me out.

5. What websites do you visit on a regular basis?

Twitter.com. Facebook.com. Is email a website?

6. What’s the most frequently played song on your iPod?

“Tiny Masonic Trowel”

7. The first face that comes to mind when you think “punchable”?

Probably, off the top of my head, Punchable Pete, The Padded-Faced Patsy of Punchfacer’s Peak.

8. What’s your favorite meme?

I love that dog answering the phone. Hall of Fame in my heart.

9. Dogs or cats?

For president? Come on. The slope ain’t that slippery!

10. Best concert of your life was…?

“Tiny Masonic Trowel”

11. What book are you most likely to give as a gift?

Anything by Stephen King! They are usually very thick and great from hollowing a gun shape out of the pages. My friends get arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences a lot! I HAVE SUCH CRAZY FRIENDS, THEY SHOULD DO A SHOW ABOUT US!!

12. What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

One time this guy carried me the entire length of a beach (I had forgotten my flip-flops and the sand was pretty hot). He never, ever let me forget it, though.

13. South Park or Family Guy?

Oh, absolutely!

14. You have an entire day to do whatever you want. What would you do?

Solve the Black Dahlia case. I feel like fresh eyes might make all the difference.

15. What movie can you not resist watching if it’s on?

Seriously, I am powerless over that made-for-HBO movie The Late Shift about the Leno-Letterman war. I also think Pitch Perfect may have become one, because I stumbled across the other day and watched it to completion. I had stuff to do and everything.

16. Android or iPhone?

Which one has an irregular spelling? Too easy. Next puzzle, please!

17. Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

I always say “that restaurant on the moon,” but people accuse me of faking my answer, so now I just say “Chipotle.”

18. The last movie you saw in a theater?

Inside Llewyn Davis. Isn’t that a crazy coincidence? The movie was INSIDE Llewyn Davis, and I saw it INSIDE a theatre? Did you just get goosebumps? You owe ten dollars to R.L. Stine! I DON’T MAKE THE RULES!

19. Who was your first celebrity crush?

I don’t know that any celebrities have had crushes on me. I also don’t know if I understand how to use that term?

20. What would you cook if Nic Cage was coming to your house for dinner?

Maybe a shepherd’s pie or something. Was I supposed to say something weird? He’s still a human being with feelings, right? I like to think I’m a gracious host. Okay fine. Balloon casserole.

(Previously: Neal Brennan. Photo via Paul’s Facebook page.)

Gillian Jacobs from Community is the latest guest on Paul F. Tompkins’s highly enjoyable web series, “Speakeasy.” The more podcast-savvy among you will note that the two have a little history, as they’ve appeared together multiple times on Comedy Bang Bang — Jacobs as herself, Tompkins in character as Garry “Please, Call Me Garry” Marshall — to discuss their troubled, fictional marriage. Those have been wonderful. So is this.

Over the course of the video’s 15 minutes, Jacobs discusses everything from growing up in Pittsburgh to getting put on probation at Juilliard to not getting any of the Die Hard references in the first paintball episode of Community. Why didn’t she get any of the Die Hard references, you ask? BECAUSE SHE HADN’T SEEN DIE HARD AT THE TIME. How is that even possible? Who hasn’t seen Die Hard? Shouldn’t it be part of the curriculum at Juilliard? What the hell are they even doing over there if it’s not? I’m livid right now.

Good video, though.

Made Man

I applaud Paul F. Tompkins for interviewing Haley Joel Osment and not just shaking his head and asking, “Man, 'A.I.' What was that about?” That'd have been my approach. On Tompkins' webseries “Speakeasy,” the comedian grills the youngish Oscar nominee — Osment's still only 25 — about whether certain celebrities are alive or dead. You'd think “The Sixth Sense” star would know, right? Well. Not when it comes to Wilt Chamberlain, y'all. 

Haley Joel Osment is the latest guest on Paul F. Tompkins’s web series, “Speakeasy,” and seeing as he’s still best known for seeing dead people in The Sixth Sense, Tompkins challenged him to a round of a celebrity dead-or-alive game called “I Hear About Dead People.” I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot harder than you think. Like, it is literally my job to stay up on pop culture, and I totally whiffed on a few of them. Go ahead. Play along. See how you do, smart guy.

My only complaint: They missed a great opportunity to toss in a “Dr. Malcolm Crowe” at some point. I like to imagine there’s still one person out there who doesn’t know the ending of The Sixth Sense, and that would have been a really hilarious way to spoil it for them.

Comedy Central

To a lot of people, Jason Nash is what the hip kids on the Internet refer to as a “Vine celebrity,” because he has a lot of followers on Vine, you see. But now he’ll be known as the star of Comedy Central’s first digital feature film, Jason Nash is Married, which is based on his web series of the same name. In the new film, which will be available online on June 24, Nash is having problems with that time-honored pain in the ass called “growing up,” as he and his wife, played by the always wonderful Busy Philipps, encounter their share of problems in trying to find happiness. That apparently leads to a threeway in a hot tub, so you have my interest, Comedy Central.

Comedy Central

More enticing than anything, though, is the list of cameos that are being made by some of our favorite actors/comedians, including H. Jon Benjamin, Rob Corddry, Andy Daly, David Koechner, TJ Miller, Patton Oswalt, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Andy Richter, Paul Scheer, Nick Swardson, Paul F. Tompkins, Matt Walsh and Casey Wilson. Even if it ends up being a miss, it’s still impressively ambitious.

Community showrunner Dan Harmon is the latest guest on Paul F. Tompkins’s excellent web series, Speakeasy. Their half-hour discussion covers everything from Harmon’s roots to his early days with Channel 101 to getting fired from The Sarah Silverman Program after co-creating it to, well, Community. Obviously. Lots of Community talk, some of which you already know if you’ve been following The Great Community Saga over the past few years, but some of which you probably don’t. Or, at least, some of which you didn’t have this perspective on. Highlights include:

• He says lots of creative-types love television and get what it’s about and supposed to be because they spent their childhoods sitting in front of one soaking it all in, while many of the string-pulling suits spent their childhoods “grooming horses, not watching TV.”
• He liked working with a network more than Comedy Central because the network was too busy to nitpick every joke.
• He really likes making holiday episodes.
• Etc. etc. etc.

It’s a good interview. Check it out if you have 30 minutes.

2776

Three longtime friends and comedic writers got together to make a concept album featuring aliens, a zombie apocalypse, time travel, and Alex Trebek. Joel and Stephen Levinson along with Rob Kutner call it “2776”, the year the album takes place. The premise of 2776 entails Will Forte (acting as the future president of America), trying to convince an evil alien (played by Martha Plimpton) not to destroy Earth. Why? Because America, that’s why. The rest of the album involves time travel through the past, present, and future. Spanning several centuries as well as several genres, the 28-track album is a jam-packed hilarious journey into a universe where eventually Canada saves the day.

The album features an incredible roster of talent, including Paul F. Tompkins, Andrew WK, Reggie Watts, Aimee Mann, KD Lang, Will Forte, Martha Plimpton, and many more. All these names signed on, and from there the Levinson brothers and Kutner had to struggle to make an epic album with almost no budget. The album is a labor of love, and all the proceeds go to charity. I met the three ambitious philanthropists at a bar, where we drank and talked about the project.

Filmdrunk: Explain to me what this whole thing is, all of “2776”. How did the idea come about, and what is the concept?

Rob: A couple years ago it was the 40^th anniversary of “Free To Be…You and Me”. Joel, Stephen, and I have been working together for many years doing all kinds of stuff. Joel is an awesome songwriter and I thought what if someone did just sort of an homage to “Free to Be…You and Me”, and what if we did it for charity so celebrities can make time for it and it could all go to a good cause. So we planned that all about three weeks, right before the birth of my second child which I don’t recommend.

Joel: We started brainstorming and were just like “what is an idea where we could put in every stupid joke we have?” That’s what 2776 is. A thousand years of American history: the past, the present, the future.

Rob: We could geek out about Thomas Jefferson, and zombie robots.

Filmdrunk: So is there a clear story-line?

Stephen: There is a story-line that comes along in a couple of places throughout it. It’s the year 2776 and Will Forte is the president of the US, and he’s an idiot. Martha Plimpton is an alien about to destroy the earth but Forte says “No, no you can’t destroy the earth. The earth contains America!” So he and his body guard, Aubrey Plaza, take the alien on a time traveling journey throughout all the past and future of America. They pick up George Washington (Paul F. Tompkins) along the way and he’s no help at all.

Rob: In the end, spoiler alert, America doesn’t convince the alien to save Earth. But then the Canadians step in. We got all these Canadians like Kids in the Hall, Samantha Bee, and Will Arnett.

Joel: KD Lang, Alex Trebek…

Rob: To sing this “We Are the World” type of song to brag about Canada’s minuscule accomplishments like inventing the multiplex and discovering insulin.

Filmdrunk: Is this stuff you already knew in your head?

Rob: We did some research

Stephen: We asked Canadians what they’re actually proud of.

Filmdrunk: What about the recording process? How difficult was it to get all these celebrities on board?

Stephen: Every song was a different story. Andrew WK and Aimee Mann came to Joel’s garage.

Joel: It’s not even a garage studio

Stephen: It’s a laptop in a garage.

Filmdrunk: That’s where you primarily recorded?

Joel: That’s where I did all of the music.

Rob: So those were the first few people to sign on and we recorded there, but once we got more people we started taking more swings. We started asking recording studios to donate time, and we found studios in LA, NY, and one in Toronto who all gave us free time.

Joel: Alex Trebek agreed to do his bit on a song, and we weren’t going to ask him to schlep to a studio. So we went to his house with a microphone and stood in his living room.

Stephen: I was driving our dad’s 10 year old Buick to Alex Trebek’s house. I’m sure they thought they were about to get robbed.

Filmdrunk: How long did each song take to get finished?

Joel: Some of them were as fast as 6 months. It took between 6 months and 18 months.

Rob: But all simultaneously.

Filmdrunk: How long did the whole project take?

Rob: 18 months total

2776

Filmdrunk: Did anyone surprise you with their singing talent?

Rob: Paul F. Tompkins is a great singer.

Joel: But we kind of knew that. Will Forte, I didn’t know he could sing. When he agreed it meant he wasn’t afraid of songs, but when we got in there I was like, “damn he’s hitting a good note right now”.

Rob: Conversely there were a lot of funny musicians. Like Neko Case.

Stephen: She is on a song about feminism in sci-fi. We had it written by two women. We didn’t want to write it because we’re not women. We gave it to these great writers, but when Neko and Kelly [Hogan] got it, they changed lyrics to how they saw it.

Filmdrunk: What was harder to write about? The past, present, or future?

Stephen: We all have different strengths, I fell asleep in history class.

Joel: I think the past was the hardest because so many people have talked about the past. It was hard to come up with our own new perspective on the past.

Stephen: Rob is really good at writing that stuff. He’s a smart guy, he knows history. I’m a big sci-fi nerd so that was better for me.

Rob: Stephen has crazy ideas that only exist in sci-fi.

Filmdrunk: It seems like there is a bunch of different genres happening here.

Joel: That was Rob’s push.

Filmdrunk: Any favorites?

Rob: Sophie’s Choice man…to Joel’s credit, he is a very versatile songwriter. Because of that I was like, let’s push many styles. So, we got like what 12 styles?

Joel: Oh come on, there’s got to be more than that.

Rob: Well, there’s big band. There’s hip hop, rap, jazz, broadway.

Joel: Mambo…

Stephen: Folk.

Joel: Plenty of blues.

Rob: You get the idea.

Stephen: One thing we really wanted to do was like, if we’re getting a blues guitarist we’re getting the best blues guitarist we can get. We have a guitar solo as a joke and we got Eric Jonson, who is this amazing guitarist, to play us the best guitar solo ever on a comedy album.

Filmdrunk: Why was concept album the route you wanted to go?

Joel: Stephen objected to it from day one, but Rob and I wanted to make a Broadway musical.

Rob: We settled on making an album that can also be a show.

Joel: We thought it would also be easier to do this than write a Broadway musical. Turns out we were absolutely wrong.

Stephen: I think we wanted something to unify all this crazy, diverse music.

Joel: But you grew up as a fan of concept albums.

Stephen: I guess.

Filmdrunk: So it’s also an homage?

Stephen: Yeah it’s definitely an homage to a lot of things that we like.

Filmdrunk: Last but not least, talk to me about the charity this is all going to.

Joel: Yes, it’s OneKid OneWorld. It’s for kids. We wanted to do something that would benefit kids. So the goal was really finding a charity with a sense of humor. OneKid OneWorld was started by a comedic writer and they do annual shows with comedians. We wanted to have creative freedom on the album and them still be proud to be connected to it.

Rob: Also, they have a small focus. They have contacts in Kenya and El Salvador. They go and they send groups over and they build schools. They pay teachers and buy textbooks.

Joel: It’s more targeted. The money goes there, and nowhere else.

Rob: Exactly. We like that. It’s not one of those huge sprawling ones where you don’t know what they do.

Filmdrunk: Sounds great. I am definitely going to buy this album for myself.

Joel, Rob, and Stephen: Yay!

Paul F. Tompkins sat down with RJ Mitte for Man Made, and being that his character of Walt Jr. was such a big fan of breakfast, he thought he’d do a blindfolded taste-test to see if Mitte is anywhere near as astute in the art of breakfast as his alter ego. Spoiler alert: He’s definitely not. Not even a little bit. What kind of person can’t even properly identify Fruit Loops? It’s a goddamn shame.

YouTube

On Friday, Netflix continues its expansion into every corner of the entertainment and television universe with the original animated series BoJack Horseman. While it sounds like a terrible WWE gimmick created for a guy who looks like he could play Arn Anderson’s son, BoJack is actually an adult-themed comedy – described by the online streaming giant as “Witty, Irreverent, Deadpan, Cynical” – that presumably aspires to be mentioned in the same breaths as South Park and Archer, while appearing to have the same offensive and fearless edginess of a cult favorite like Duckman, an under-appreciated series like Ugly Americans, or even a completely forgotten gem like the short-lived God, The Devil, And Bob.

Then again, there’s also the possibility that this new series simply intends to be the first of its kind, and according to its synopsis, it’s going to scratch a lot of people who love watching celebrities crash and burn in all the right places.

Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the ’90s … 20 years later. Set in an L.A. where humans and anthropomorphic animal-people coexist, “BoJack Horseman” is about one man (well, horse-man) who peaked too early and must figure out what to do next.

YouTube

More specifically, actor and bipedal talking horse BoJack Horseman was the star of the show Horsin’ Around, but like a lot of our favorite TV stars from the 80s and 90s, things went south once the ratings died. Now, BoJack is trying to reinvent himself in a time when people are more obsessed with fame and F-list celebrities than they’ve ever been, and one of the first steps is a tell-all biography. Created and written by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who previously wrote an episode of the cancelled NBC series Save Me and The Exquisite Corpse Project, the series stars five beloved actors that should at least convince most of us to give BoJack Horseman a whirl come Friday.

Netflix

1) Will Arnett – The voice of BoJack Horseman himself, the down but not out star of Horsin’ Around. Of this troubled animated character, Arnett told USA Today:

How does Arnett describe BoJack? “I try not to — lest I should freak people out. I see people’s eyes widening when I say, ‘It’s about a guy who’s a horse who used to be a ’90s sitcom star,’ ” he says. “Honestly, it’s just a study of these characters and BoJack happens to be a very extreme narcissist who is having a tough time re-entering the world.”

2) Alison Brie – Diane, the human woman tasked with ghost-writing BoJack’s book.

3) Aaron Paul – Todd, BoJack’s best bro. Paul is also handling the role of another character that sounds absolutely delightful.

“On BoJack’s side, it’s more of a frustrating love-hate relationship,” says Paul, who also plays a rooster in a jogging suit that runs around the neighborhood at dawn yelling for everyone to wake up. “At the beginning, he’s just annoyed by Todd and doesn’t feel like he even wants Todd around. Throughout the season, BoJack realizes that he does, deep down, care for Todd quite a bit.” (Via USA Today)

4) Amy Sedaris – Princess Carolyn, a cat and BoJack’s agent.

5) Paul F. Tompkins – Mr. Peanutbutter, Diane’s boyfriend and a TV star. Oh, and he’s a dog.

As we learn from this teaser trailer for BoJack Horseman, nothing is off limits in this anthropomorphic version of Los Angeles. Seriously, nothing.

In addition to the core cast’s star power, we can expect to hear some other favorite celebrity voices in each episode, as Patton Oswalt, Stanley Tucci, Melissa Leo, Wendie Malick and Keith Olbermann are all on board for the disgusting fun. But words are nothing but letters shoved together, so let’s see something more than just a teaser trailer.

Television critics are already weighing in on Netflix’s latest original work, and the quotes you’re about to read aren’t exactly going to inspire you to set a reminder. In fact, if I had to sum them all up with one BoJack Horseman GIF, I’d say that this one does the trick:

YouTube

Part of the series’ problem right out the starting gate is that Arnett’s boorish, self-absorbed former sitcom star feels like little more than an equine version of a character he’s played a dozen times, most effectively in “Arrested Development.” – Brian Lowry, Variety

BoJack hits funny bones hardest when it loads up on background gags–for example, the fact every character has a terrible ringtone provides surprisingly rich humor as the six episodes advance. – Kyle Anderson, Entertainment Weekly (via Metacritic)

All of the setups are promising, and there’s nothing really wrong with the idea of repurposing the has-been-sitcom-star template by making the lead character a horse. What’s wrong is that it’s not well written. You get the sense that Bob-Waksberg figured just taking a well-worn premise and populating it with animated animals is somehow funny enough to sustain us for 12 episodes. – David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

Arnett plays a washed-up ‘90s TV star — a man with a horse’s head — in this bizarre, Seth MacFarlane-like show that seems to have stemmed from a trippy night on ‘shrooms. In the words of Nancy Reagan, just say no. – Lori Racki, Chicago Sun-Times

In defense of a show that I have not watched and am excited for based on the cast and premise alone, judging any series on its first season has become a futile exercise. Think back to the first seasons of the two greatest animated series ever created – The Simpsons and South Park – and they’re both trash in comparison to the show’s best years and episodes. Not all animated series can be as explosive and awesome as Archer from Day One, but even that show didn’t have universal praise in the beginning.

Meanwhile, Netflix users, apparently oblivious to the definition of “review” having to do with actually watching something, are already weighing in with their own ratings, and it seems to be a mix of positive…

Netflix

… downright paranoid and just plain pissy.

Netflix

Again, BoJack Horseman debuts on Friday, August 22 and, like all Netflix original series, will be available in its entirety. It’s certainly not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but when your trailer starts out with Air Bud International Airport, you’ve earned a three-episode grace period from this guy.

YouTube

As he did previously with RJ Mitte, Paul F. Tompkins had Bob Saget on his web series for some Speakeasy: Internet Games, this time playing “America’s Filthiest Home Videos.” Of course we all know that Bob Saget is a filthy f*cking human being despite all those years mugging it up on Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos, so naturally he manages to incorporate bestiality and cannibalism jokes into a cat playing Jenga and a near cliff diving accident.

It’s, uh, a little uncomfortable. I wonder what Stephanie Tanner would think about this.

Photobucket

Warner Brothers

In a recent interview with BBC Radio 4, comedy legend Mel Brooks claimed that political correctness was killing comedy. While Brooks made it clear that he’s not against empathy in comedy, he’s worried that comedy is becoming less authentic in our “stupidly politically correct society.”

“It’s OK not to hurt feelings of various tribes and groups. However, it’s not good for comedy. Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks. It’s the lecherous little elf whispering in the king’s ear, always telling the truth about human behavior.”

Brooks continued, saying that Blazing Saddles, one of his most famous and beloved works, could not be made today due to its racial satire and the risks that it took.

“Without that, the movie would not have had nearly the significance, the force, the dynamism, and the stakes that were contained in it.”

To be fair, Brooks was clear that there was one line that he thought should never be crossed: the Holocaust is never funny.

“I personally would never touch gas chambers or the death of children or Jews at the hands of the Nazis. In no way is that at all usable or correct for comedy. It’s just in truly bad taste. Everything else is ok.”

Now, there’s a lot to break down in Brooks’ statements, but the idea comedy is dying due to “PC culture” just isn’t true. Instead, fans are getting a more diverse pack of voices to choose from. Comedian Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Peanutbutter if you’re nasty) thoughtfully disagreed with Brooks on Twitter, explaining that critiquing comedy isn’t a bad thing and that the best comedy always punches up.

There is absolutely no doubt that Brooks is a comedy visionary who has left behind a legacy to be proud of, but it might be time for some new voices to come to the forefront. Diversity isn’t the death of comedy. It is merely another way to enrich it.

(H/T The AV Club)

Everyone who’s seen his The Simpsons impressions knows Ted Cruz isn’t funny. But lots of people aren’t funny. Like me, for instance, or anyone who thinks it would be amusing to go as Joe Exotic this Halloween. But the Texas senator is a special kind of unfunny — he’s profoundly unfunny, as comedian Paul F. Tompkins explained on Twitter.

In response to an article about Patton Oswalt canceling tour dates because certain states (ahem Utah AHEM Florida) refuse to take COVID seriously, Cruz tweeted, “Both of his fans were disappointed.” Cruz has 4.5 million followers on Twitter; Oswalt has 4.7 million. But beyond that, the senator’s joke (“joke”?) doesn’t make a lick of sense.

“It’s not just that Ted Cruz isn’t funny, it’s that his premises are faulty. Anyone can be unfunny but to start with a premise that is not based on reality is the sign of someone who truly does not know how comedy works,” Tompkins tweeted. “All the people who liked the tweet and think this is a good burn suffer from this same condition. They don’t know what is actually funny, they just like things to sound like something they themselves would have said.” The BoJack Horseman star added, “To say nothing of the fact that Ted Cruz is, of course, vaccinated.”

I fully expect Cruz to respond to PFT with a “you’re right… NOT” joke.

You know who knows how comedy works? Patton Oswalt! (Ted needs to stop picking fights with comedians.) “Okay Ted, here we go… Not as disappointed as Texas was when you cut your Cancun vacation short and came home,” he responded to Cruz, along with, “Ted, you Tweeted this at 1am. Put the phone down and return to liquid form for a few hours” and “I’m so flattered you took time from your porn scrolling for this, Ted.”

That’s how you do it.

Funnyman Paul F. Tompkins is developing a scripted comedy series entitled “Evil Genius” for Comedy Central, according to Deadline.com. Tompkins will star and co-write the series with “Monk” veteran Tom Scharpling.

Tompkins will play Professor Tiberius Lynch, an arch-criminal who conquers the world, and then has to deal with all the mundane bureaucratic tasks that come with that responsibility.

The comedian served as host for VH1’s popular “Best Week Ever” and has had several comedy specials air on HBO and Comedy Central.

Check out this recent stand-up clip:

IFC released the first footage from their upcoming “Comedy Bang! Bang!” TV show based on the podcast of the same name. The show premiers in June and is hosted by Scott Aukerman (Between Two Ferns, Mr. Show). It includes a mix of interviews and sketches with improvised elements and plenty of surreal humor. We’re looking forward to the possibility of more Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler rap battles.

Each of the ten episodes features sit-downs with some of the biggest names in comedy, taking them beyond Aukerman’s couch and engaging them with the off-beat world of the series. With the help of bandleader and one-man musical mastermind Reggie Watts (Conan), Comedy Bang! Bang! reinvents the celebrity interview with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats. Also packed with sketches, character cameos, filmic shorts and games, Comedy Bang! Bang! turns the traditional talk show on its head, delivering thirty minutes of absurd fun. [IFC]

The clip below includes guest appearances by Adam Scott, Paul F. Tompkins, Andy Samberg, Patton Oswalt, and Bob Odenkirk. All they were missing was Andy Daly jumping out of a window as various characters.

“I am the best!” — Dr. Reginald Watts

[Sources: Danger Guerrero, IFC, Earwolf, Micusficus]