Men have always ruled the comedy scene. From dynamic duos such as Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello and Jay and Silent Bob to teams such as the Happy Madison boys (Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Peter Dante, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson) and the Frat Pack (Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen and Luke Wilson and Steve Carrell).

There are virtually no female comedic ensembles who can sell movies like these guys can.

In the stand-up circuit, men generally receive the biggest reception. Recently, I went to a stand-up comedy review that featured twenty comics in one night. Of those twenty, only three women took the stage. Three. WTF?

Women are pretty damn funny, so why don’t we get the same appraisal as men get? Films like Old School put the Frat Pack on the map, while the hysterical chick flick The Sweetest Thing flopped at the box office. The Wedding Crashers cast has people rolling in the aisles, while far too many people have never seen Christina Applegate, Cameron Diaz, and Selma Blair sing The Penis Song.

I took this assignment to cover the 5 Funniest Women out there, but quickly realized there is just too much talent to narrow it down so far. That said, what follows is my personal list of five of the wittiest women in the world, along with some honorable mentions. I welcome feedback, comments, and nominations, because I’m sure I’ve missed some ladies that can more than keep up with the boys. Read More »

For the former Daily Show “correspondent” and talented star, Steve Carell (who’s acting abilities, incidentally, shine the most when he takes on more subdued roles, as in the case when he played a gay, Proust scholar in Little Miss Sunshine), the opportunity to star in the American Office, assuming the same role that Gervais had perfected even before the show’s inception on BBC, must have been, I can only presume, a bit daunting.

Indeed, those are big shoes to fill, as my previous piece, which introduces the mastermind(s) behind the Office indicates. (Despite my focus on Gervais, he shouldn’t be given all the credit, as Stephen Merchant was also the co-creator of the Office and their hit series on HBO, Extras).

THE VERDICT: FIRST IMPRESSIONS AREN’T ALWAYS CORRECT

I’ll be the first to admit, when I watched the first few episodes of the American Office, my leeriness was confirmed. Jim (played by the now famous John Krasiniski, a native – like the writer/actor of the show B.J. Novak – of Newton, MA) just parroted Tim (Martin Freeman), and as a mere mimicker of the British actor, I wasn’t impressed. It was worse for Carell, however, as he was taking on Gervais’s role. All eyes were on him. While Gervais received gushing praise (one critic, as I mentioned previously, lauded, “the show is perfect.”), American TV critics, not surprisingly, reviewed Carell’s initial performance with either tepid (ahem) approval or outright despair, the latter bemoaning the fact that he was channeling Gervais and in a decidedly not-so-subtle manner. Read More »

It’s a good time to be a TV fan, girls. Other than the incredibly disappointing resurfacing of Britney in How I Met Your Mother, things are going well. A couple television tidbits for your perusing pleasure:

* Renewals for shows I love: How I Met Your Mother and Reaper. YAY! People, this is good comedy right here. If you aren’t already tuning in, you should be.

*Speaking of How I Met Your Mother, the websites mentioned on this week’s episode are real and functioning. You can buy set pieces and items from Lily’s ridiculously cute wardrobe at this auction site. All proceeds go to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. In addition, www.GuyForcesHisWifeToDressInAGarbageBagForTheNextThreeYears.com is not only the longest URL ever, it is bizarre and wonderful. Details like this make me love this show.

*Season finales are upon us, with Scrubs and 30 Rock ending last week, and the majority of other shows finishing up this week. And while I mourn the passing of some of my favorites, I’m distracted by the awesomeness that I’m sure The Office will deliver this Thursday. My predictions? Cliffhangers galore: including a Dwight/Angela coupling behind Andy’s back, Jan using a possibly fake pregnancy to reel Michael back in, and a Jim/Pam proposal. Too far fetched? Maybe. But if I’m right you’ll bow down to my fabulous and mystical clairvoyance. Post your own predictions in the comments! Read More »

Celebdom is full of run-of-the-mill gorgeous people. We all fantasize and have our little lists of who we’d hook up with… but there are some that you just don’t talk about. Those famous people who aren’t exactly of the pre-Angie Brad Pitt reputation.

I have a list of celebrities I find attractive but maybe shouldn’t admit are attractive. These are not the Justin Timberlakes or David Beckhams, but instead, some questionable characters that I (secretly?) feel deserve some consideration:

Chris Brown. He is 18, and therefore I am allowed to judge him. He can dance. And I love that stupid “Kiss, Kiss” song, something I also am a little embarrassed about. I found his stint on the OC rather ambitious. He is kind of adorable.

Jon Stewart. At only 5’7″, he doesn’t meet my usual height requirement. But he’s hilarious. He’s smart. He played soccer at William and Mary. I love him. Read More »