Episode 1 5
This Week in Comedy #15 with Blaine Capatch, Rob Cohen & Ron Lynch
Sundays at 6pm PDT
Hosts
Ed Crasnick
Vicky Pezza (producer)
Julie Mitchell (news)
Guests
Blaine Capatch
Ron Lynch
Rob Cohen
Introduction
Greg Giraldo on Comedy as an art form
Ed opened the show by introducing his panel for today.
He also discussed the recent death of comedian of Greg Giraldo, which opened the show. He said, unlike most comedians, he’s not afraid to open a comedy show with news about a recent death.
Ed then talked about taking his daughter to see the sing-along “Beauty and the Beast.” He’s put off by inanimate objects that talk.
He then moved into a discussion of his aunt and uncle’s marriage, which he described as “Vietnam with cold cuts.” If psychotherapy were convertible to frequent flyer miles, Ed feels he’d be all set for a free trip to Pluto.
News with Julie Mitchell
Julie returns from working on a comedy horror movie in which she had 79 lines. (There was only one character with more lines than her.) She plays a girl who’s kind of mean, whom the other characters call “the B word.” She tried to stay in character on set the whole time, so the other actors hated her.
Ed thinks horror and comedy are a lot alike. Both are a set-up and a punchline.
Vicky says her favorite horror-comedy is “Ed Wood.” Crasnick loves the Martin Landau performance in the film as Bela Lugosi.
Contest
Ed wants to know what the funniest thing that happened to his audience next week! Tweet your answer to #TWiCom for a chance to win a copy of “Madden 2011″ for the XBox.
Interview with Blaine, Rob and Ron
Ed talked to Rob about his job working at Greenblatt’s deli in Los Angeles. He was a delivery boy on the night shift. Mostly he was dealing with psychotics in the Hollywood Hills who may or may not want to rape a man in a blue apron.
Rob told a story about delivering a late-night sandwich to “MASH” star Sally Kellerman. She ended up chasing him, throwing her purse at him, because he asked for her driver’s license to verify a check.
Blaine and Rob wrote the “MAD TV” pilot together at Sunset Gower Studios. They felt fortunate when it got picked up and made into a show.
- How about you, Ron? How did you get your start in Los Angeles?
He was doing stand-up in San Francisco. He felt like comedy kind of dried up there, and then moved a bunch, always coming down to LA to do shows. Eventually, he settled here and started writing promos for The WB.
There’s less promo work right now, especially for the WB.
Ed said he has more luck getting meetings at the WB because they’re not a network any more.
Rob discussed dating Janeane Garofalo. They got drunk in Vegas one time and debated getting married in a drive-through chapel. They had a marriage ceremony, but because Rob had written down false information on his certificate, it was not official. (He said he was 42 years old and from Kansas, and that he owned a successful tractor dealership.)
Ed really did get married in Vegas. He got a package deal that included a limo and a trip to the 24-hour City Hall where everyone looks like the cast of “Clue.” The ceremony was broadcast on the Internet, but it was still the early days of webcams, so it was very choppy and buffering.
He knew the marriage was doomed because comedian Bruce Smirnoff sent him a complimentary bottle of orange juice.
Blaine asked Ed if he has ever thrown up or been sick on stage. Ron said he once vomited right after the “Tomorrow” show; he managed to hold it until the very end.
- What’s the worst venue or job or assignment you’ve ever had.
Ed discussed some of his nightmare gigs outside of Boston.
Ron discussed doing comedy in bars that had no business doing comedy.
- If you were going to watch stand-up, who would you want to see?
Blaine cited Louis CK, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, Nick Kroll, Zach Galifianakis, Jen Kirkman, Karen Kilgariff. Anyone funny, basically.
Ron mentioned Andy Kindler and himself.
Ron couldn’t think of any young actors or comics who have really blown him away.
Rob discussed the background of the “Manetti” project, which was commissioned for MTV. They had been looking to do mini-pilots, and he pitched “Dirty Harry with marionettes.”
The goal was to air them on “The 10 Spot.” He said it was a nightmare to work with puppeteers. (He described puppeteers as “psychotic.”)
Plus they would only have a few shots to get each set-up to work. (Hank Azaria and Andy Dick did the voices.)
He said it was a very collaborative, funny bad idea.
Blaine then talked about a show he does called Lucha VaVOOM, a show that combines Mexican wrestling and burlesque performances. Blaine and a guest do comedy based on the wrestling matches, Mystery Science Theater-style. They’re taking it on tour.
Ed asked whether the panel finds heckling or texting during the show more disturbing. Blaine said the worst was people who sit right up front and then speak quietly just to the performer. Ron thinks the worst kind of heckling are the people who quietly say “Next.”
Rob asked if the comics were immune to heckling, because they are used to it? Ron said the key is to ignore the people in the front because most of the crowd can’t see them.
Ron told a story about a woman choking in the front during his set at the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival. He tried to help her from the stage, but the crowd thought it was a bit.
Ed said that comedian David Feldman would hang out in the back of the Improv and blow a whistle when he felt that the comedians were going too fast and losing the audience. Blaine quoted Jerry Seinfeld who said, “If you think you’re going too fast, slow down. If you think you’re going too slow, slow down.”
Heckler gets smashed by guitar
Rob talks about being from Canada and whether it made him funnier. He thinks Canadians have insecurity about Americans, and secretly want to be Americans, and that drives them to prove their unique by being funny. Blaine described it as “a country that’s Jim Belushi.”
Rob is making a documentary about Canadian comics, including Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox and the Royal Canadian Air Farce. He felt the highlight was Howie Mandel, who was alternatingly hilarious and passionate about being Canadian.
Ed worked on a sketch comedy show with Howie Mandel early on in his career and described him as a “great actor.”
Ron requested that they stop talking about Canada. He also talked about a PBS cartoon he’s working on for young girls called “Word Girl.” Tim Conway worked on one of the cartoons.
The panel then talked about their outdated or obscure impressions.
- Is there an afterlife?
Blaine said he thinks God is what the universe looks like from the outside. Woooo!
Vicky closed out the show promoting the International Shit Movie Film Festival, where she will be bartending.
