Day: January 6, 2008

Comedy Central is promoting its new season of half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials by asking its participating comedians with whom they are feuding. Here, Michael Showalter playfully takes on Human Giant for not recognizing The State as their greatest comedic influence. In jest, perhaps. But Showalter sure doesn’t take all comparisons of comedy troupes quite as lightly. Back in July, Showalter hosted the first anniversary party for Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with a bill that included Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, Janeane Garofalo and David Cross. Things were fun and dandy until Garofalo got sidetracked during her set (surprised?) and started talking about how she’d watched the movie Beerfest the night before and was laughing out loud (for real, an actual instance of LOL). "I didn’t understand the Broken Lizard thing until Beerfest," Garofalo said. She then wondered if that’s perhaps that’s why Stella didn’t succeed on Comedy Central. Perhaps you need to know the guys to laugh at their jokes. That was her premise. She moved on to Tony Snow’s cancer, her best friend, her sleeping and TV viewing habits, touring with Henry Rollins, and other matters. When Showalter returned to the stage, he called Garofalo out on comparing Stella to Broken Lizard. Garofalo reminded him that Wet Hot American Summer (very much a State/Stella production that also featured Garofalo) and Super Troopers (the first Broken Lizard...