Dane Cook Day in Boston

Did you know Wednesday was Dane Cook Day in Boston? Twas. Cook’s not part of the Boston Comedy Festival, even though Boston City Councilman John Tobin is a cofounder of the fest and was the guy pronouncing the day for Dane Cook in honor of his contributions to Boston comedy, …

Video: Dave Hill as a Big Brother

So I’m in Boston all week, which means I missed the grand meeting of the minds when Steve Guttenberg appeared live last night on The Dave Hill Explosion (Best Week Ever documented it for posterity). Hill also likes to produce short videos, and here is a new one that has …

Preview: 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (Comedy)

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards get handed out on Sunday evening (broadcast on the ABC television network), and in the comedy categories, he academy tends to be, well, stubborn? The funniest people sometimes have to wait years for official Emmy recognition, but once they do, they get rewarded over and …

A very Spaceballs Sunday

When Mel Brooks introduced Spaceballs to his film canon in 1987, viewers and critics most likely did a double-take. A parody of Star Wars? In 1987? And yet such low-brow Yiddish wit as "I see your Schwartz is as big as mine" ran rampant through junior-high and high schools, as …

Animated video: What is comedy?

Here is a fanciful animated short video to keep you company while I prepare another day of comedy news and analysis for you. As I write and research, perhaps I should be watching this, too, since it asks that essential age-old old-age question: What is comedy?

In other news, blogs…

Amy Poehler talks to USA Today today about her imminent departure from SNL. Seth Meyers says replacing Poehler won’t be easy: "She has a real connection with the audience," he says. "She looks like she’s having a lot of fun, and it’s contagious. It’s going to be hard for one …