Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates and you never know what your gonna get”, this is true for my life. I grew up as a military officer brat and traveled the world before I was 17 years old. My father’s claim to my childhood was that I was able to retrieve beer from the fridge at age 2. I chose to write about my girls. My children are what keep me going. On a bad day they make me smile. God has blessed me and I cherish what he has given to me. I chose to attach clips from Bill Cosby's standup on "brain dead" children.
Kids say the darnest things, this is so true. Bill Cosby is hillarious because he is funny (just for you Dr. Hughes). :) Bill is great at what he does because he has been there. He has children and at the age of 72 he can still rock a show. I saw him perform last year in Atlanta and he was great. He talks about children, family, love and heartache. He makes you laugh then cry then laugh all over. Cosby's standup routine set the stage for many comedians along the way. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Kat Williams and Whoopie Goldberg all agree that there success is because of Bill Cosby. Pryor is once quoted for saying that, Bill Cosby is the greatest comedian on and off the stage. This act is truely funny and I hope you enjoy it.
I may not know what tomorrow holds for me but I do know where I’m going and where I came from!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyMSc97UksM

Genevieve Rodriguez THE OFFICE! :) WIN!

The piece I chose is from the NBC show, THE OFFICE. This episode was played after the super bowl in 2009. It is probably my favorite episode from the show. It begins with the Dwight acting sketchily toward the camera and then showing lighter fluid and several other things such as an air horn. He leaves the office and everyone is acting normal but he locks them in, hammers the key, and puts flame to the doorknob. He says that no one paid attention to his fire safety talk because he used PowerPoint and that is boring, and we can all agree that most PowerPoint presentations are very boring. He gives valid points that experience is the best teacher, but the specific experience that he is trying to make for his coworkers is a very unrealistic one, which makes this even more ridiculous and funny. One of my favorite quotes from this 5 minute scene is when he lights the cigarette and says, “Today, smoking is going to save lives.” He lights the trash can on fire and shuts the door. No one notices so he takes matters into his own hands and makes a scene. LOL! Everyone starts freaking out, which is the normal thing for people to do in this situation, but he begins is just yelling precautions at them. This is so funny because no one is listening to them. They just keep running in and out of rooms feeling doorknobs and don’t think to pull the fire alarm or get the fire extinguishers, which the camera zooms in on. Michael, the manager is freaking out and telling everyone to stay calm and it is so funny because he is telling everyone to stay calm yet he is freaking out. LOL! They start pushing and shoving each other and Angela takes a cat out of a filing cabinet, which is hilarious because no one notices that there is a cat. She then throws her cat up the roof and then he falls, which is hilarious. Kevin, being the stereotypical overweight man, goes to the vending machine and starts hoarding the snacks. Another one of my favorite quotes from this scene is when Dwight throws the popper on the ground and Andy says that the fire is shooting at them! Oscar is in the roof and falls out, and Michael throws an overhead projector out the window. Stanley has a heart attack and Michael thinks that saying that Barack Obama is president will help him resuscitate, which is hilarious because it was only three months after the election and things were still touchy with the subject. I really love this show and the humor is very dry but a lot of people can enjoy it. I agree that PowerPoint presentations are very boring and now they will know how to react. J

http://www.explosm.net/comics/755/

Black humor....

In trying to decide on something I found humorous that pertains to my own life, I had great troubles in deciding. However, there's always something in the back of the minds of many people that we can all relate to. That one thing, is our favorite movies. I cant really place an emphasis on my favorite movie of all time, but I can place an emphasis on a movie which makes me laugh no matter how many times it can be re-played. Diary of a Mad Black Woman has to be one my all time favorite movies when it comes to humor. The humor provided throughout the movie tends to find its roots in the many discriminating stereotypes of Blacks in today's society. That being said, I love black people. Especially when the black humor is soo far fetched into Black people making fun of their own race. Tyler Perry is very good at making fun of his own race, while intermixing other stereotypes in with his plays and movies. In his play-writes and movies, Perry's main character "Madea", happens to be Perry himself, dressed as an older black woman. Though I do not dress as an older black or white woman for the matter, I have been told by many that I am black on the inside for some odd reason. The interesting thing is...it fits. Personally, I enjoy many Negro Spirituals and that good ole' southern Gospel singing. After all, us white folks aint got nothin' on them black churches when it comes to singin'. Also provided in Diary of a Mad Black Woman is the typical stereotype of the Ghet-to! The stereotypes of the black ghettos of Atlanta provide many funny jokes and opportunities for laughter throughout the movie. I enjoy the black humor and stereotypes in this movie simply because we can all relate to the stereotypes in todays world, and the fact that this movie provides an atmosphere where stereotypes are "ok."

The DJ's on a Yacht

While thinking about something humorous that has happened in my life, I kept thinking about all the embarrassing moments that were absolutely horrifying at that time, but are now some of the funniest moments I can remember. I was trying to think about what some of my favorite clips are from some funny movies or TV series, and finally I came up with one that relates to my personal life. I thought about a clip from the movie Dumb and Dumber. Dumb and Dumber isn’t really one of my favorite movies that I watch over and over again, but one scene stuck out to me and when I thought about how it could relate to me in my own life, I started laughing and knew it was perfect. In one particular scene, Lloyd slips turbo lax into Harry’s drink before he is supposed to meet Mary at her house. On the drive over, his stomach begins to make strange gurgling noises, and he realizes the fact that he is about to have an explosion. Once he gets to her house, and slips into the bathroom and has, what my family calls it, an “ass-plosion” or the "DJ's" (deucy juicy). After he has experiences some violent action on the toilet, Mary knocks on the door and informs him that the toilet is not working properly. He is mortified and tries desperately to think of everything he can to fix the toilet. I personally experienced an incident very similar to this. My father lives on an island called Isle of Palms which is fifteen minutes away from Charleston in South Carolina. While visiting him for a week one summer in middle school, we were invited to party on one of his friend’s yachts. We were all having a great time on his yacht and had a great dinner, then suddenly it was interrupted by my stomach making some obscene and obnoxious gurgling noises. Attempting to be sly and nonchalant, I slipped away unnoticed and hid in a bathroom on the boat. Minutes later, I heard a knock on the door and the sound of my father’s familiar voice saying “Matt, are you ok? I hope you’re not using the toilet, it’s broken and won’t flush.” I was absolutely horrified. I immediately felt my heart sink out of my butt along with everything else and my face turn bright red. I opened the door and revealed to him what had happened. Thinking back on it now, I can’t help but laugh at myself and the complete misfortune I had, but at the time I was completely embarrassed and had no idea what to do. The worst part about the whole unfortunate incident was the fact that it was on a yacht.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GoswzefcY

Sugar Sammy

I’m writing my blog about a Canadian stand up comedian, Sugar Sammy. He’s not the most famous comedian, as none of you probably have even heard of him, but he is starting to get his name out there in Canada. In the routine he did for Comedy Now! Sugar Sammy uses his own race and other peoples’ to make fun of. Many comedians go over the black and white thing, but he is Indian and it gives it a nice twist from other racial stand ups. He starts talking about women towards the end of the routine. He tells the audience what kind of a woman he likes, and they are all pretty good qualities, but then he makes this really bad comment that would be offensive if it weren’t a joke. Good approach to get the audience in a good mood before insulting them. If it bounced off and was offensive, he followed up with right after making fun of his people, so it would make it OK to make fun of others. After that he goes into arranged marriage because it is normal in India and his parents want him to get one. In the beginning of this joke he makes it extremely inappropriate for the audience and almost puts them in a very uncomfortable situation. Again when it gets to an extreme point and turns it into a ridiculous situation that nobody could ever think of. I think Sugar Sammy is so funny because he’s quite unexpected. He’s a jerk and mean to his audience but always recovers nicely and comes out with a blast. The routine in general is all racial with all kinds of twists and turns, mostly focusing on the “outsiders” races, such as “brown” people and Latino’s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-6IeUl35o&NR=1

T.K. and Mike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUaElKQOTSc&feature=related

I have been an active outdoorsman pretty much since the day I learned how to walk. I was the kid that was wandering around looking for stuff to get into. As I grew older, I was introduced into some activities in the outdoors that were a little more involved. In my younger years I would stand on the dock at the pond for hours trying to catch fish with someone holding my shirt to keep me from jumping into the pond with the fish. As the years went on I started tagging along with the grown ups of the family on deer and turkey hunting trips. When I became of age, I began carrying a gun and I was the one getting to take the shots. Before I could do this however, I had to prove that I was ready to carry a gun and be safe with it. Two of the most important parts of gun safety is knowing 1.) Where the barrel is pointed at all times and 2.) Whether the gun is loaded.
T.K. and Mike are two redneck guys that make comedy out of hunting videos. They go into the woods and do all of the completely wrong things. They aren’t safe; they act like idiots, yet it is absolutely hilarious. In one of their turkey hunting videos, the guys talk about “hunting safety” and how it is important to always know whether your gun is loaded. Not to ruin the video, but T.K. proceeds to shoot a cameraman in the leg. How is this funny you might ask? Well is all honesty, hunting can be a frustrating sport. It is a grind to get up hours before daylight for weeks at a time only to get outsmarted my mother nature half the time. Though it is extremely satisfying when you win, you are defeated the majority of the time. When times get tough, everyone can appreciate some good humor and after a long day in the turkey woods this hits the spot.

Living with a big family

The stand-up comedy routine by Brian Regan titled “Big Family Stuff” is particularly funny to me because being in a large family I have been in some of these situations or situations like the ones he describes. When he mentioned the story when his brothers did not let him play games with them, I immediately thought about a time when my brother Tom was having a party in our back yard so me and my sister had to stay upstairs or stay out of the way because it was a “big kid” party. Tom was a sophomore in high school and I was in fourth grade while Laura was in sixth grade. So it really wasn’t right that “Tom’s little sisters” were at the party. Well, Laura and I did not like this decision so we thought we asked politely if we could be at the party with everyone else and he still said no! As my room is over-looking the pool in our back yard and it was pool party, we thought my brother and his friends should have water balloons at their party! Just as Brian said his brothers didn’t let him play games and then he played a trick on them, my brother didn’t let me and Laura come to the party so we played a trick on Tom.
The scene he puts in your mind when one of the other kids got hurt, I remembered when my sister fell off her bike and although she didn’t break her arm, she skinned up both of her knees really bad. Our friends Lauren and Heather were outside playing as well and the three of us did not want to tell mom what had happened because we were supposed to be doing our homework anyway.
When Brian Regan talks about the situation with a big family you have to call your possessions, it is true. If a Laura goes to the kitchen to get a snack or something, she says, “Dibs on the remote and the chair”. Of course I listen to what she says because she is older than me and I am being nice to let her have it, but when I say, “Dibs on the remote and the chair”, normally, it isn’t before I’m out of the room that she took both of them. And it doesn’t exactly work the “I call the hump!” I always ended up on the hump no matter what I did.

Hippy Infestation

This past week on Wednesday I was watching an episode of South Park called Die, Hippy Die, were the plot line was about a hippy infestation in South Park, Vermont. The hippies invading South Park Vermont then once feeling comfortable in the town, they decided to hold a music festival to raise awareness about the horrible aspects of large corporations. I find it funny how people hold a music festival to solve a problem, and all they are doing is sitting on their butt say “let them hear you over there in Washington”. They think they are accomplishing something by smoking pot and jamming. The writers based there idea for this episode off of popular music festivals such as Burning Man and Bonnaroo. I watch this episode I was cracking up because it was exactly like Bonnaroo I attended last summer. The aspect of the hippy festival that I find so funny was how realistic the festival was to a real one. The town of South Park was all excited and for the festival, until they saw what type of people attended the concert and how they never leave because their music is just one continuous jam. I experienced this same switch of feels towards the festival when I ate at the same diner before and after Bonnaroo. The waitress we talked to before was excited about how much business they were getting since they were right on the highway heading to Bonaroo. By the time we traveled back the waitresses all looked very tired and almost pissed off. Our waitress was complaining about how she just wanted the festival to end and for things to get back normal. She was complaining about how no one was tipping because, according to her, they spent all their money on drugs. One of the funniest parts of the episode was when Carman and two others try to get into the front of the stage to put on a Creed CD to disperse the hippies and get them out of South Park. If you have ever been to a concert where there are estimated 70,000 attendees, you would know it is an impossible task to make it from the back all they to the stage. In order to accomplish the task, they build a tank with a drill in front to take the hippies out and drill their way to the front. The whole episode is just terrible funny because although they are bashing hippies, they have the personality of a hippy down to the t. There have been many shows were I wish I could drill my way to the front, but instead friends and I grab hands and push our way up until attendees just won’t let us threw anymore. I also love how the town people decided to put a stop to the “Phish” band jamming by putting in a Creed album. If there is one way to disperse hippies bad music will definitely do it.

All My Single Ladies...

Beyonce’s song, "All My Single Ladies", was released in November of 2008. This song became pretty popular because it is quite catchy, especially if you are/were single at the time. A little after the song came out, there were a plethora of YouTube videos that had come out with people “trying” to sing the song and dance along with the music. Last summer, one of my friends showed me a YouTube video of an African American woman with a clown mask on her face dancing to the song. Her hands are raised in the air, and she is jamming out to the song in a hotel room with one of her friends. First of all, she has a clown mask on which means that she probably can’t see too well. Second, she isn’t paying attention to where she is going or what exactly she is doing. All she cares about is dancing to the song, but she doesn’t want anybody to see her face. I mean it couldn’t possibly be the fact that she isn’t the world’s best dancer. Nevertheless, she continues to dance. Third, she is with her friend and they are probably bored out of their minds, so they decide that they will make a YouTube video. During the part of the song where it says “now put your hands up,” her hands go up in the air. As the song progresses a little further, she does the infamous head throwing motion. Not realizing the TV is right there in front of her when she brings her head forward, she nails her head on the TV. Clearly in pain, she takes off her mask and proceeds to turn off the video camera. This video is one of those videos where it gets funnier and funnier every time you watch it. I think it very much relates to me because I love to dance; although, I am far from being close to the real Beyonce. I have hurt myself before trying to dance. This video is so hilarious because I can see this happening to me. I would be trying to hide my face because I wouldn’t want anyone to know it was me trying to dance. Then, I would get hurt and take off my mask so that everyone is able to see my face all over YouTube. My friend and I have also made videos very early in the morning because we were bored. Of course, I embarrass myself and my roommate put them on Facebook. I also think that I do things sometimes without thinking what I actually look like, and I’m sure this is what this girl did. I am the type of person that will laugh at almost any joke, “funny” movie, anything that is intended to be funny, or for that matter things that aren’t intended to be funny. I love laughing. This video might not be that funny to other people, but I think that everything is funny!

Michael and Drew- "Sin City"

Drew and I have chosen the new comedy of this year, The Hangover. In The Hangover a group of guys spend a night in Last Vegas celebrating their friends last night of being a bachelor. What they don’t know is that it will end up being one of their craziest nights that they will experience. They start off the night by taking shots but what they don’t realize is that Alan spikes their drinks with Roofies “aka Floories.” The next morning they wake up and don’t remember a thing from the night before. Their room has been trashed but have no reason why and want to leave before the maids come and make them pay for the damage. They start to pack and remember what happened when they realize their missing Doug, they guy is getting married the next day. They start to piece things together but still don’t know what happened to Doug. They keep wondering why they don’t remember anything from the night before then Alan confesses that he had spiked their drinks at the beginning of the night. Once they piece the night together they remember they put Doug up on the roof where they began the night. They have to hurry back so Doug can make it on time to the wedding. They found a camera in the car after the wedding and decided they will look at it once and never speak of it again. I guess the saying is true “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” We find this funny because we feel like with the guys we hang out with we can relate to what happens in the movie. I could see us doing some of the things they do in the movie like leaving a car in the middle of the freeway because we ran out of gas. We always talk about what would happen if we would take a trip to Las Vegas and ask “would we make it alive?” We think that we would make it out alive but there will definitely be a good story behind the night in “Sin City.”

Revenge on the prankster - Family guy

Have you ever this famous video called “Two Girls One Cup”? Well, Wezly and I have both seen it, unfortunately. It is a video that has been banned from pretty much every internet site now. It is a disgusting portrayal of two lesbians who defecate and play around with it and each other while being sexually explicit. In a family guy episode, Brian and Stewie portray the exact reaction that me as well as Wezly had when we were lured into watching the video. In this scene, Brian wants Stewie to help him do something, and Stewie will not do it because of an earlier event in which Brian talked him into watching the video, “Two Girls One Cup”. People who watch family guy know that Stewie sees himself as intelligent far beyond his years. He does not act like the typical infant. When he first sees the video, he reacts just like me and Wezly did our first time. He’s like ok, “there lesbians, clearly.” Then as he continues to watch the video he is horrified and reacts the same way the typical person would: by being disgusted. Brian, in the background is laughing because he knows what to expect. He knows that Stewie is going to react the way he does, and that he is going to get a good laugh out of it. It was the same way when our friends showed us this video. At first it didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary, but then all of the sudden it became disgusting. They could laugh at our reaction because they had once been in our position. As the scene goes on, one of the hilarious quotes that absolutely kills us with laughter occurs when Stewie says “OHHHH I’m never going to be able to eat ice cream again.” This quote is so funny because if you have ever seen the video, the two women are rubbing feces’ all over each other and it looks like chocolate ice cream. Another funny thing that occurs in the video is when Stewie says “Could you imagine two dudes doing that? Oh my God, that’d be even worse. Would that even exist? Where would you even find that? Let’s type it in and see what comes up.” These lines are so funny because of the character Stewie is. He thinks he knows everything, and when he finds something that he does not know everything about, he wants to research it. This is funny to us because of how it can relate to us. We all know people who are like that and would actually go to the extent of researching anything even if it is extreme as this. This video is absolutely hilarious to both of us not only because of the way it is hillariously portrayed by Stewie and Brian, but also because of how the entire situation being portrayed relates to our life and past experiences.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASHLLZbue44

He Never Knew...

In Ralph Ellison’s An Extravagance of Laughter, he experiences something he has never experienced before. He learned, while he was in New York, that buses were a very popular way of transportation. However, unlike in the South, the North didn’t really associate your racial status as to where you had to sit on the bus. Ellison describes the way it was for him in the South: “In the South you occupied the back of the bus, and nowhere but the back, or so help you God.” Then he explained the difference between the North and the South by saying:
“ So being in the North and encouraged by my anonymity, I experimented by riding all over New York buses, excluding only the driver’s seat—front end, back end, right side, left side, sitting or standing as the route and flow of passengers demanded.
Being accustomed to the South’s “rules”, Ellison was baffled by the different choices he had in which place to sit. He was used to not having a choice because he was obligated to sit in the back of the bus in the South. Ellison claims,
“ Thus having convinced myself that no questions of racial status would be raised by where I chose to ride, I asked myself whether a seat at the back of the bus wasn’t actually more desirable than one at the front. “
Ellison realized that all this time he had complained for being made to sit at the back of the bus. He claimed, “Now that I was no longer forced by law and compelled by custom to ride at the back and to surrender my seat to any white who demanded it.” I think this is a good example of why we think “grass is always greener on the other side”, but then we find out that it is really not any better. In fact, it may be worse. Ellison found it amusing that he actually preferred sitting in the back of the bus because now he wasn’t required to sit there. Now, he had a choice to make. “And in my own personal terms, what was more important—my own individual comfort, or the exercise of the democratic right to be squeezed and jostled by strangers?” he asked himself. Did he want to conform to the old ways of the South by taking a seat at the back or did he want to take the less comfortable, more prideful front seat? His history with buses in the South and realization that the back of the bus was actually better amused Ellison.

"Nothing happens when you die"

To begin, everyone has experienced that awkward moment of fright when the person around you sneezes exceptionally loud. In that moment, one becomes very embarrassed from jumping out of fear and for the person who was experiencing the sneeze. Dane Cook uses a memory and visual technique to describe the debris that is flying out of this person’s nose. He uses a Windex sprayer to describe how the sneeze appeared to him. This relates and refreshes the memory of someone sneezing on or near you; the feeling of wetness from the sneeze feels as if someone has drenched you with a Windex bottle. Whenever someone sneezes, naturally we reply God bless you. However, in some cases, like this one, the person who sneezed appears offended by the statement. Nevertheless, we have our freedom of speech and we say this out of kindness and not out of trying to offend someone. Personally, I have never encountered someone who smarted of and became offended by it; I usually get a polite thank you in return. For Christians, or anyone in that matter, whenever someone sneezes, the polite thing to do is say God bless you. People who do not believe in God have the same rights as people who do believe in God, however, I do not agree with them boldly flaunting as if they are proud of it and do it out of hatefulness and wanting to enrage others. I know there are numerous religions, and almost all of them have some form of God, but those that do not, make it hard for me to relate with them. If you are not living for God, then whom are you living for? Yourself perhaps, but what is the point in that? What happens to you after this life? Does your soul just disappear, or do you even have a soul at all? People who do not believe in some form of God, I lose a lot of respect for, because that is disrespectful to God. It is hard for me to see eye to eye with someone who believes there is no God, the debates and disagreements are endless, there is never a middle point. It is hard to endure someone laughing at our beliefs when their own beliefs are ridiculous and incomprehensible. Dane’s way to end the religious dispute is classic, after the man becomes a tree, he tells the man that he hopes he is copped down and turned into paper that the Bible becomes printed on.

Watch Where You Put Those Hands!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRbqn9NSVpY&feature=related

What do we have here? Although this video is not very detailed it is packed chock full of hilarious footage that people probably never really see, but wish they could see. People these days are always interested in seeing something that goes against a norm. We laugh at people that have disabilities and we laugh when people can’t fit under the safety bar in roller coasters. But, do we laugh about dog’s playing with their own penis’s? Of course we laugh about this kind of stuff! I have always been the type of person to laugh at animals doing reproductive activities. I don’t find it funny because I am creepy, but because I simply find it hilarious. Although most people such as I hopefully don’t find enjoyment in this kind of thing, the thought of it can only make you laugh. A man that went by the name of Mr.Hands died from being nailed by a horse not too long ago. This footage was put on Youtube and now the whole world has seen and knows about a guy who took it in the rear by a horse. Although we didn’t find enjoyment in this, it was the fact of watching this and laughing about it that made it such a great laugh, even if someone died in the process. Because I live on a farm I have mini-horses, a donkey and chickens. I see weird stuff all the time when I am just sitting on my back porch enjoying the outdoors, but seeing these things doesn’t weird me out , but it makes me laugh. I have seen my horses mount each other, and although this is weird and freaky I find it hilarious just because it is something that you usually don’t see in real life. My mom and I were on the way to Wal-Mart one day and two donkeys were doing it on the side of the road. Although it was weird, I immediately bursted into laughter and pulled over on the side of the road. My mom was in the passenger seat and was laughing hysterically while I laid down on the horn until the show was over. I don’t know what it is, but I find all of this extremely hilarious even though I know it is a weird thing to laugh at, but at the same time I know we all do it. I think one reason why I find a clip of a dog playing with himself so funny is because it is something nobody ever sees. When you look at the dog you can see the seriousness in his eyes and his movements which makes it even doubly hilarious. I think it is extremely funny how his movements change during the video and the fact that it oddly resembles a person in dog form. This dog knows what he wants and I guess he got it because he seems really knowledgeable about what he is doing. This clip is all that it takes too make me laugh because seeing an animal doing a human activity is weird as it is, but when you see an animal do a sexual activity of a human, then it is really funny! Maybe if his tongue was sticking out while he was playing with himself it would have been funnier. The act of putting his paws in the air and switching hands was just oddly hilarious. What an odd puppy!

Project Week: Your Humor, Your History

Dear All,

Either as individuals or as pairs, you will prepare a write-up about how your personal history/experience makes a piece of your choosing particularly funny to you.  If you are writing as a pair, think about what you each have in common that would render something comic to you both!

You may choose a cartoon, a joke, a book, a poem, a commercial, a scene from a movie, a stand-up sketch... anything!  If you can link to it in your blog, do so.  If not, just be ready to help your classmates understand it -- either by showing some of it to them, or by summarizing it -- because you'll present your favorite piece of humor and your write-up to the class on either MONDAY or WEDNESDAY next week!

Have fun with this assignment, be thoughtful and deep, and write your blog with care!  It's your last one!

Best,
Jennifer

Second Chance Blog: Ellison

Dear All,

Were you unprepared for the Ellison quiz?  Do you want to prove to me that you "get" Ellison?  Just an over-achiever?  Write this blog to replace that quiz grade:

1.  How does Ralph Ellison connect history to his personal sense of humor?

2.  How does Ellison suggest that laughter is a healing force?

Make sure you quote and cite Ellison appropriately in the blog!

Best,
Jennifer

Git Er' Done-Matthew Peeler

As we all know, the Blue Collar Comedy tour has provided the entire nation with entertainment for years now. Larry The Cable Guy, Bill Engval, Ron White and Jeff Foxworthy have been providing this entertainment with each of them using their own unique style to make the performance comical for the audience. Larry The Cable Guy however sticks out. He uses the front of a down home, blue collar, fully fledged redneck to entertain his fans. Some of his most famous lines include "Git er' done" and "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there." These lines are said in such a strong accent, one cannot help but laugh! The odd thing is, "Larry" does not have this heavy accent while he is talking in a normal tone. This accent is purely a stage voice used for entertainment and well, it works. Not only does Larry make people laugh by the way he talks, but also the jokes he tells. Being the blue collar comedy tour, each comedian typically takes situations that the average American can relate to and makes them into their jokes. To me however, Larry takes these situations and takes them to a different level that is just hysterical. For example, in one of his acts, Larry talk about the child in Ethiopia that he sponsors by the name of Boobla Boobla. Larry tells the audience about Boobla Boobla and reads the crowd a letter Larry received from him. Now there are many Americans that are interested in sponsering a child and there are also many people that do, making this a theme that most individuals can relate to. Larry adds a unique twist however and makes this theme his. He flaunts his redneck accent and turns this sponsored child into a hilarious joke. (Now it may seem wrong to do this but we must remember, they are only jokes). With Larry using the talents that he has been given, he can create a funny situation even out of the worst situations. He uses his unique speaking ability and his talent to create a comical story out of a common situation that is enjoyable to all of us.

Link to boobla boobla's story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPXyEU5a94c

What Does Your Ethnicity Taste Like?

Discuss one aspect or detail of your stand-up comedian's performance and how it makes him or her comic. How does it engage the audience? What makes it unique as a method for causing laughter?

One of my favorite stand-up performances was performed by Daniel Tosh. The subject of his stand-up performance dealt with people's races and how they would taste if they were eaten. This entire routine revolves around the lovely views of racism. He says things such as, "Do you have to use salsa before you bite into Jose"? Do you have to eat five minutes later when you eat Chinese people? Then Daniel gets to the part of the routine in which makes its very comical. Although this is 2010 people are still afraid to mention anything about black people because they are scared of the fact they may say the wrong thing and offend somebody. He states that black people taste like fried chicken and the crowd goes silent. I find it funny how Daniel has big enough balls to say this, and the audience were the ones that felt in the wrong. He follows up with his comment about black people to say that white people don't get eaten. He claims that he didn't make the rules, but it is just the way it is. After making jokes about black people, which is something that always catches the attention of people, he incorporates religion into his skit to finish it off. After making fun of black people he says that he hopes he doesn't get up to heaven and finds out god is black. He says he is going to get up to heaven and God is gonna say,"Ah that ain't funny motha fucka, white people taste like Macaroni and cheese!".

I love the way Daniel Tosh says whatever he wants no matter how racist it is. This create much comic effect because we often find things that are morally wrong the funniest. Daniel Tosh incorporates the use of racism, morally wrong ideas, and profanity to grab the attention of his audience. I feel as though he does a great job in being a rude asshole because he does nothing less than keep his audience laughing. His serious face along with his sarcastic and racist ideas make it doubly hilarious. It is almost as though he is being completely serious about his stand-up, but this is just the opposite. It is funny to see someone put on a fake face as Daniel Tosh does. The racism in his skit grabs the audience by the collar because they love to hear things from other people that they would feel afraid to say themselves. Holy Shit!

How racism can be funny

One of the funniest comedians I have ever watched would have to be Kat Williams. He is absolutely hilarious. Although the crocodile skit we watched in class is funny, I have to say it is not at all his best. His best skit is “White friends”. In this skit, he uses race, which is a controversial issue many people will not poke fun at. People do not want to offend people. He goes about it in a way that does not offend people though. He talks up white people and black people, making people in the audience from each race laugh without offending either one of them. He talks about how people, no matter if they are black or white, need to go out there and get them some white friends. Everyone needs white friends, because according to Williams, if you call your “nigga” friends while your in jail, they will “interrogate you more then the police will” while if you call your white friend when your in jail, “he’ll be there before you hang up the phone”, He talks about how naïve white people are, but presents this in a funny way. Then, to counteract what he just said, he talks about how white people have taught blacks about animals, since ‘Nigga’s’ ”don’t discover shit”. Then he talks about getting some black friends. He says “White people get you some “nigga” friends”, because they “will tell you when shit it not appropriate”. He gives details on why, and it is absolutely hilarious. What Williams says has truth in it and relates to everyday life, so that is also what appeals to people and makes them laugh. One of ways Williams engages the Audience and makes them laugh as well is by using gestures. He uses his hand as a phone, and then uses his body to present gestures. He also makes noises and changes the pitch of his voice depending on the situation. He would be funny with just what he is saying, but the gestures put him over the top, and to me, make him unique and absolutely hilarious.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHj7UfZzuM

Robin Williams on Golf

The stand-up comedians normally discuss a simple part of life and make it funny discussing the small stupid stuff people do in life. Robin Williams is an actor and stand-up comedian who is able to describe the simple game of golf in a very funny way. He says, “The way you play golf is you hit a small ball into a gofer hole. Is this hole close?! Fuck No! It is hundreds of yards away!” It is very funny because he asks questions and answers them himself. When he answers his own questions, which is part of the reason he is so funny.
Robin Williams was able to incorporate his audience into the conversation about the game of golf because everybody knows the concept of the game of golf and can relate to it. Everyone has the same feeling of getting very frustrated when they are unable to hit the ball or unable to the ball into the hole. When he made the comment about a person thinks they are going to have a stroke every time they hit the ball and that is why they call it a stroke. I laughed really hard because I actually play golf and I know the feeling.
What makes Robin Williams’ performance unique is the way he describes every time he says no to the questions asked, he always answers, “Fuck No”! He also comments on the stereotype of the Scottish people wearing kilts and playing golf and the accent they have. His stand-up comedian act would not be the same without his accent. They mention the clothes that the golfers wear, the lack of athletic ability, and the commentary of the professional golf association.
Robin Williams, like most other stand up comedians, fluctuates his voice and changes his voice when he does an accent or is being another character. He puts on the accent of a person from Scotland throughout the entire act because he is being a Scottish act until the last 20 seconds of the act.

Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin is easily one of my favorite comedians, and in my opinion one of the funniest around. Other comedians on the top of my list are Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Tosh, and Katt Williams. The one thing I think makes Demetri Martin stand out from the rest is the drawings he uses to aid his standup. The video I chose is a long line of jokes that Martin puts together to accompany his “large pad”. With every one of his ideas, he flips the page to show another depiction to help the audience understand. He is not in any way a great artist, which I think may actually make all of them more humorous. Most of them consist of charts, diagrams, and other ridiculous pictures. If any random scrub off the street came and tried to draw pictures and tell jokes, I do not think it would be successful. So it is not some formula that he discovered that works for anyone; Martin is extremely clever when thinking of material for his standup. All of his jokes are incredibly creative, and his delivery helps his humor. He does not do any extraneous movements, as other comedians do, he simply moves on to the next joke as the audience rolls around. The clip of his performance I chose for class is very short, but the entirety of this special is unbelievably funny. He first brings up the old saying “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”, and brings a complete 180 degree turn to it. Martin does this with many of his jokes. He will take common sayings or parts of life, and turn them into a clever spin like no one else. A lot of people have negative opinions of him because of the god-awful television show he came out with, but I’m sure it has made him some cash, so who can complain? His standup is great, and one of my favorites.

John Pinette....... Water Park

John Pinette uses himself as a model and perfect victim for the puns of his own jokes. Due to his stature, John Pinette is able to make fun of himself for the enjoyment of his audiences. By placing himself in these situations that his audience can relate to, Pinette provides exact images in the minds of his audience. In 'Water Park,' the descriptions used allow the viewers to directly relate to things that happen in everyday life,.... or on your family vacations. Forming his show around the modern day problems of the world, such as obesity, and the frustrations of dieting, Pinette allows himself to become humiliated in front of his audiences, allowing them to laugh at the things one might normally not laugh about in front of others. The providing of his personal views on each matter in which he speaks, allows Pinette to engage his audience by placing certain images into their minds. One might also find Pinette's voice funny. For such a large man, he has a very high pitched voice that tends to reach even higher pitches when he gets excited or goes into a funnier part to a joke. Over all, the use of imagery by words, the ability to put himself in the situations without making the audience uncomfortable, and his actions along with the high pitched voice, Pinette is a very successful comedian in that he provides scenarios in which we can all laugh at.

You've just driven into F*ckville, and she's the Mayor!

To anyone who has seen one of Dane Cook’s performances, I don’t think it’s any big surprise then when deciding on what makes him stand out or comedic, one of the first things you think about are the motions he does with arms, hands, or any other part of his body. He involves his whole body while describing his stories, keeping the audience’s attention for the whole duration of the routine. During one specific routine, women winning 99.9% of all fights, he describes how women have a way with dealing with fights and how they react under certain circumstances. He goes into detail about how they position their hands crossed in front of them, then move them under their chin, place their legs sticking out, and how they have a certain phrase of two they always use. They will always start to agree with the guy they are fighting with in order to prove a point at the end. Dane used his positioning so well that he almost perfectly reenacted what women actually do while getting in fights with their significant other. He used the same girly movements with his hands, the same girly stance with one leg sticking out in front of them, then at the end, positioned his hands under his chin then walked off with a very exact stride. Everyone laughs at him for two reasons mainly: one, because he has pinpointed every single motion and positioning perfectly and hit the nail right on the head, and secondly because everyone has gone through one of these experiences and knows exactly what he’s talking about. He finds a way to connect with the audience and relate to them on a level they understand. He captivates their attention and holds it the entire duration of the routine with his voice impersonations, flamboyant gestures, and ability to relate on a personal level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AOUl8731Jg&feature=related

What the F@#k...a clean comedian...REALLY?

WOW!! There is so much stand-up comedy in cyberworld. I came to realize that each comedy act I watched (and there was a bunch) had it's own personal touch. Each comedian had a different approach, different moves and different skit. I learned that the word fuck means so much more than I ever imagined. :) It truly made my head hurt...fuck, shit, damn, hell, fuck, shit, damn, hell etc... I had a difficult time finding a "clean" (and I don't mean showered) female comedian that made me laugh. For this blog I chose Anjelah Johnson. I chose her because she was clean and funny and female. She is native American and Latino mixed. Angela was born in California and raised in a large poor family. She has overcome many obstacles in her life. Anjelah has hit over a million visits to her utube video "nail salon". Johnson had her big break on MADTv where she earned an ALMA award for her performances as Bon Qui Qui. She is currently doing voice overs in cartoons and traveling the globe with her stand-up. Anjelah made me laugh with her comedic skits of everyday real life events.
Anjelah comes out on stage dressed casual and fun. She makes fun of her name, Anjelah Nicole Johnson as not being a traditional Mexican name. She has a great way of poking fun at Mexican family stereotypes...because she can. Anjelah Johnson does her famous nail salon skit. It's a skit that everyone can relate to. Her comedy approach is a double conversation with herself and a bucket full of race stereotypes. She has a wonderful way of making the nail salon bit so real. Her skits are true to everyday life and she didn't have to fuck, shit, damn or hell in the approach. :) It's refreshing to see a female have some respect and virtue in the public eye.
Anjelah Johnson is creative and entertaining. Her comedy style has earned her awards and recognition throughout the world. She continues building her career with clean comedic acts. I enjoyed watching her clips and I even utubed MadTv for "Bon QuiQui".

Her words made me laugh and I hope you enjoy the clip below as much as I did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baDJ-ZIvYy0

Jerry Seinfeld

My favorite stand up comedian/actor is Jerry Seinfeld. If you have ever seen his show you find yourself always laughing but you always ask “what is this show about?” In reality his shows aren’t about anything really other than what people encounter in everyday life. In this skit Jerry opens up with him walking around the airport and he buys a sandwich and everyone knows that the food in airports are overpriced but he says “I wonder if the people selling the sandwiches really know how much their selling them for or are they just selling them to sell them?” Then he moves on to where he is sitting on a plane and he is talking about when the pilot of the plane comes over the intercom system explaining the flight and the altitude. When I’m sitting on a plane I always notice that the pilot never seems excited he always seems very monotone, tired, and doesn’t really want to be on that flight. Also, he explains what he is going to do like the passengers actually care but in truth all they care about is that they get to their destination in a safe ordinary fashion. Then Seinfeld says “it is not like I go up to his cockpit and tell him what I’m doing and bothering him.” I think Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy is hilarious because every joke he has is something that you have encountered and you find funny. Also, he has a conversation with himself as if he’s the other person like in the case he is the pilot and changes his voice so its monotone and not very excited. Unlike Katt Williams and Dave Chapelle he is cleaner with his skit which I like more but having the cuss words every now and then is funny but not every other word that comes out.

He Doesn’t Know He’s Just Sayin’

Laughing is an essential facet of everyday life. Stand-up comedians play a big role in giving us many reasons to laugh. In one of Katt Williams’s acts, called “Weed”, he portrays many unique characteristics that make him stand out among other comedians. For one, he is dressed in a suede green jacket, and that has everyone’s attention at the very beginning. The language he uses throughout the whole act is very attention getting because he is not afraid to say a few curse words. I know cursing for comedians is becoming more popular, but I think Katt Williams puts his own pizzazz in it. He begins the act by saying how weed can get your mind of the struggles of everyday life, and how he doesn’t understand that if you are smoking weed then you aren’t doing anything with your life. He makes weed seem like it is the solution to all our problems, when it is a horrible thing you can get addicted to. Next in his act, he talks about how weed isn’t a drug; it is just a plant that grows in the ground. He uses logical humor to his advantage because we all really know that weed is a drug. However, he puts it in terms that we have never thought about. I think this is why he is so hilarious! Then he continues to say that it has some affects when you light it on fire, but then he compares weed to actual drugs. He says you don’t have to mix all baking soda, water, or anything else to weed but you do to other drugs. Then he says that he doesn’t know the recipe; he is just saying. When really he does know the recipe or else he wouldn’t have said that. I think another reason he is so funny is because he says things from actual experience because he knows so much about it. He relates smoking weed very well to the audience. He mentions worrying about the light bill. He says if you just hit the blunt one time, it will take away all the worries because you have 12 candles you have been waiting to burn. Another unique characteristic about him is he uses his hands very well to demonstrate what exactly he is saying. There are many distinctive traits that separate his comic style from others. I think because he is willing to branch out and say some pretty fanatical things that he is very successful in making people laugh. When he makes people laugh, the people don’t really realize at what they are laughing at could be very harmful to someone. He, in a way, puts a distraction on people because many people don’t realize what they are really laughing at. His technique might not be as ethical or moral as Bill Cosby, but that doesn’t take away the fact that it is hysterical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWhUqo9Aivs

Dane Cook- The Movies

The movies-- Anna Aycock

The stand up performance starts and Dane Cook is talking about going to the movies with a girlfriend. He starts and he makes it sound like such an exciting thing it really is even though everyone has been to the movies thousands of times. The way he jumps around the stage like both the people he is talking about are right there and he plays both parts wonderfully. To make it sound even more exciting he calls it a, “cinematic adventures.” Then he begins to talk about his personal experience at the movies and how he gets so involved in the movies that he begins to talk and to talk a lot. When he does this he is literally making fun of himself and it is hilarious because of how he is picking for at himself. Then he goes back to the story about the two people dating that are going to the movies. He makes it so funny because of the way he talks about how the girl acts and exactly how she stands to answer the question if she wanted any snacks, he also calls them, “treats.” He even literally points out that this is the way girls stand when this happens. He says then these two people go into the movie theater and sit down, all of a sudden this girl now decides that they want something to eat. He puts on another type of personality when he is trying to be the girl. He makes it hilarious in the way he says all what this girl wants, it starts out being extremely specific for example she wants chocolate gold coins, gummy fish, an icy in a bamboo cup so it will not make her hands cold, and just the cheese that comes with the nachos. These are things that are strange all together and it is suppose to be that way to make this girl sound crazy and hilarious all at the same time. She knows exactly what she wants and is going to make this guy get it for her. He goes on and gets what he gets what she wants him to. In the end he starts to talk about the previews which everyone loves. He actually acts out to previews, it is amazing how he can go on about these previews for a good while and he uses his hand like the screen to make it seem like they are right in front of him. When he is doing this they actually zoom in on his hand and it is amazing how fast he is moving his hand and making all these crazy sound effects at the same time. All in all it makes total sense for Dane Cook to be completely hilarious by how he is so spastic on stage and is always making hand motions and noises, he is just plain crazy.

Genevieve Rodriguez

Gabriel Iglesias’ “Drive Thru Voice” skit is really funny because he uses his voice to manipulate the story he is telling. This short is about drive through windows and how he uses different voices to confuse the cashier. First of all, going through a drive through is a common experience so anyone who has been through a drive through can relate to someone getting their order wrong and he is confusing the cashier the second time he goes through because he/she got his order wrong the first time. This is a technique that many stand-up comedians have and they are usually successful using this tactic. He uses the microphone to muffle his voice making it sound like the cashier talking through the speaker. He also changes the pitch of his voice to bring out the point of his story, which is to confuse the cashier. The different voices engage the audience because it is more interesting than just listening to someone talk and impersonate without changing their voice pitch and style. The audience is also engaged by his story because it is very relatable. This is unique because a lot of people can enjoy this kind of comedy and it is not really offensive to anyone unlike comedians who curse a lot and say dirty jokes. Those might be funny but clean jokes can be funny for everyone! I also like his facial expressions. It would not be so funny if when he “pulls up” to the drive through window he does not make that really serious face followed by the really girly voice. His laughter is also very comical whenever he is “talking” to the cashier. I think the irony is what is really funny because of his androgyny in this skit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOQJiZ_g3Ho&feature=related

This is an awesome short that you should watch.... and you should go to

www.explosm.net/comics and check it out. cuz its AWESOME

But click on random. this week they are making depressing ones idk why. excuse the horrible grammar.

http://www.explosm.net/comics/1959/

Public Restrooms

Being able to laugh at a stand up comedian is one of the best ways to remove yourself from the everyday grind for a few minutes. To get lost in the world of laughter almost has a medicinal affect. Dane Cook is a stand-up comedian that can most definitely take readers to the point where laughter actually hurts because you are laughing so hard and so much. In a Comedy Central clip Dane Cook does a performance about “Public Restrooms” this is a subject that people naturally tend to snarl those nose because people automatically think how nasty. He uses this common reaction to Public Restrooms to humor his audience. His eccentric movements are the majority of how his performances are so hysterical. He engages the audience by maintaining their attention because you don’t want to miss his energetic and random actions that go along with his jokes. In the public restroom skit one of the first thing that you really start laughing about is the way he talks about why is EVERYTHING wet? Then he acts out a shaggy dog shaking water everywhere, hilarious! He uses his wide range hand motions to help the audience imagine a public restroom where everything is wet. Also funny is his impersonation to someone relaxing as they walk into the restroom as his own response to why do people call it a restroom anyways? He then proceeds to make the audience laugh as he bashes on a common thing seen in public restroom stalls, graffiti, it is hilarious the way he “acts out” someone crapping and carving graffiti. He then makes another hilarious point when he talks about how people write they were there and then someone else crosses out that and puts they are a faget. He then goes on to talk about who comes back to check their graffiti anyways. Good point! Because it is such a common subject because most people have used a public restroom and how dramatic he is acting it out makes Dane Cook able to make hilarious performances on everyday subjects people experience.

YouTube Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl8K9TEBXh4&feature=related

The Movies

In Dane Cook’s vicious cycle, the movie scene is one that everyone can relate too; everyone has experienced the something similar to his description of going to the movies. Around here, everyone can relate to going to look and see what movies are playing online, then the movies become like an adventure more than just going to the movies. The entire time, Dane Cook is moving around or acting out parts, which brings several emotions and triggers the memory in a visual way and in words. Every girl can relate to being asked if you want any snacks, or “treats” as Dane Cook calls them, the response is almost always umm no. Dane’s body movement during this scene is identical to how most girls react when asked that question. He might over emphases on the movement, but it still relates to how we react and how awkward it can appear. Once you get into the theater, there is always that debate over where to sit. The way Dane runs on the stage, gives him like a childish, playful appearance. After getting settled in the seats, this always happens, the sudden urge to want some “treats” take over. As Dane changes his voice to imitate how the girls begin to sound, like a childish mumbling voice. The facial expression he has on his face, the embarrassed, self-conscious one. One of the best parts in the entire movie scene is when he is passing by the people in the rows. He demonstrates how uncomfortable it is to pass by people sitting, no matter who you are, everyone has experienced that feeling at least once. However, my favorite part is the movie previews. For the “one time in all of our life, we get to be a critic,” we all judge how the movie is going to be by this one preview. His movie previews become realistic by creating sound effects, from which the entire crowd can understand it is an action movie and sounds exciting. Everyone does the same thing, deciding whither or not that movie is worth seeing, based on this one preview. Dane Cook gets the crowd evolved by relating the humor to everyday situations that everyone has experienced at least once. He not only brings up familiar memories and feelings, but also demonstrates them on stage. This takes the funniness to an entirely different level.

Brain Ninjas

Dane Cook is arguably the most successful comedian there is at the moment. My favourite stand-up by him is Vicious Circle. It’s a typical Dane Cook show, absolutely ridiculous. His style of comedy is based on stories that can both have the possibility to be true, or total bogus. What makes his comedy so effective though, is the way we could all put ourselves into the shoes of those stories. Often the stories are situations we have all been in, so the audience can relate to what he’s talking about. The way he makes these stories funny and entertaining is by pointing out the obvious and throwing everything we don’t want to admit or be honest about, right on the table and that’s that, no arguing. In the particular section of Vicious Circle that I want to talk about he talks about relationships, and why women win 99.9% of all fights. He claims that women are brain ninjas, and that they strategically say things to make men go crazy in the end. The way he tells this story is by explaining how both men and women react and want to feel. What he says men want in a fight and what women want in a fight and how they want to make the other feel is so spot-on that you just have to laugh. He puts certain feelings into words that you never thought you were feeling before but when you realize that he just put your feelings into words in the funniest way possible, you can’t help but admit it. Of course, the story is a really generalized one and it doesn’t apply to very many subjects of fights in real life, but it’s general enough that it applies to fights in some way. Lots of people will be able to reflect and see themselves in the scenario that Dane Cook talks about and really, you just end up laughing at yourself...

It's about 10 mins but so worth it!!!!! Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z468B8vV6XU

Everyday I'm Hustlin'

Wezly Barnard

Katt Williams opens his act with his favorite song as he walks out with his swagger. He takes off his coat and acknowledges the cheering audience. He refers to his song, “The Hustle,” as being “his shit!” This song makes him so excited that he has to ask the DJ to turn it off. He uses this unique technique throughout the show which makes it comical. He acts like he doesn’t want to hear it when he actually really enjoys when it is played. He is able to relate to the audience by explaining that when any person any where hears their own favorite song, it changes their mood for the better almost immediately. He does this by portraying real life situations that people experience every day by actually acting it out. This enables the audience to connect with Katt’s message causing them to find it comical. The first situation presented is an impression of a librarian at work. This job is known to be boring and quiet. Katt Williams pokes fun at this idea by playing his favorite song and pretends to grab books off the shelf and flip through books to the beat of the song. In the second situation Katt explains that “If you were to get to heaven” and hear this song, “you would know there was about to be a party up in heaven!” The humor in this example works because it breaks what we traditionally think of as heaven. The last three examples are the most funny because they are the easiest to relate to. Katt describes grocery shopping, having sex, and working to this hip hop song. These are things that most of us do on a regular basis, so watching Katt Williams portray these situations was extremely comical. Katt Williams is a successful comedian in this clip because he is expressive and can easily engage the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLDitGAUrno

Blog: Stand-up Comedy

Dear All,

Go forth and select your own favorite (relatively short) stand-up routine, sketch, or commercial.  Feel free to include a link to the sketch!  Choose another clip form Katt Williams, George Carlin, Eddie Izzard, Dane Cook, Bill Cosby, Maragret Cho, or other favorites (people who are interesting that come to mind are Sarah Silverman, Robin Williams, Bob Sagot, Gallagher -- he's the watermelon guy -- Jerry Seinfield, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres).  Answer one of the questions below:

1.  Discuss one aspect or detail of your stand-up comedian's performance and how it makes him or her comic.  How does it engage the audience?  What makes it unique as a method for causing laughter?

2.  Compare two stand-up comedians' uses of a comic technique.  How does it set them apart, how does it reflect their talents or approaches to comedy?  For example, both Eddie Izzard and Bill Cosby rely on facial gestures to mark moments of absurdity or comic frustration in their sketches.  But Eddie's facial gestures are funny in part because he is wearing SO much make-up.  What could you say about their faces?

Midget's Are Mean-Hunter Warren

Mark Twain's "Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut" uses humor in order to suggest, playfully, that not all forms of guilt are natural and healthy. As we laugh at the narrator killing his pester-some conscience and going on an insane rampage, we realize that a conscience is actually good for making people behave. Why does Mark Twain turn this message into a joke? `

In the beginning of the story Mark Twain saw a conscience as something that could be overlooked and pushed to the side when the situation arose. As a result, Twain was always bothered about his smoking problem by his aunt, but when people were bothered by his addiction he would just act as though nothing was really wrong with his actions and continue on with what he was doing. One day Twain's conscience knocks on his front door as a moldy dwarf in physical form. After letting him into the house and speaking with him, he finds out the truth of why this little man has come to see him. I find it ironic that Twain feels as though his conscience can be pushed to the side. However, when his conscience actually shows up he tries everything he can to push him to the side, but is still unable to do it. He has to kill his conscience in order to get him out of the house and out of his life. He tries to physically hurt the little dwarf, but he is unable to ward him away until nearly the end of the story. I also found it funny that Twain thought he was more powerful than his conscience, but it was obvious that his conscience was much more powerful that him. I feel as though Mark Twain turns this message into a joke because he realizes that he is very wrong in believing that a conscience can be just pushed to the side in time of guilt. In the end of the story he kills off his conscience which leaves him to do whatever he pleases to do without any ounce of guilt running through his veins. It shows that his conscience really did have a sense of ultimate power over himself. At the end of the story we learn that without a conscience you are more prone to do bad things and feel no remorse. Overall I feel as though Twain dumbly learns that a conscience keeps you in check rather than something you can just override. Because his conscience was on the verge of death, he was not able to completely ward off hurting other people, but his shriveling conscience did keep him from killing others as he did in the end. When his conscience is dead and he rampages on others, it is easily shown that a conscience Is a very important aspect to controlling ones behavior. In the beginning Twain saw this as something that was not important, which ironically shows Twain's ignorance though a physical form. Every bad act he committed put him one step closer to killing off his conscience and living a troubled life!

conscience=little person inside of you:)

Mary Twain turns the message of “a conscience is actually good for making people behave” into a joke. He does this because he does not believe that the conscience is the main thing that controls everything you do. He makes the joke that whenever his grandmother comes over and starts to yell at him about the smoking, his conscience gets very groggy, tired, and then falls asleep. I guess he is saying that his conscience does not care at all about his grandmother or he is saying he does not care at all when someone tells him how bad it is for him and for him to stop smoking .
When he makes a joke of this message, he is doing so because he does not believe that the conscience can control the actions of a person. He believes that it is a little person inside of you that you can ignore and can just put away whenever you want to. The way he puts it in the story, a person can control his conscience, the conscience does not control the person. He is frightened though when his “little person” of a conscience freaks out when something he has done bad is thought to be extremely bad. Normally the actions he does feel bad about are very minuscule and would not mean anything to a person if they were not the person who actually committed the action. He is frightened at the beginning of the story because the little person of a conscience tells him that he has cheated the woman out of food when it was there and he also told the lady that the chef was not in the kitchen when he was right on the other side of the wall in the kitchen. When the conscience tells him this, it frightens him because he was the only person who knew that the woman asked for food and that the chef was there.

Who wears the pants?

After the first read of Fanny Fern’s “A Law more Nice than Just”, it is a bit tough to see the controversy of the article. However that is using the standards that we have in today’s society. A woman wearing men’s clothing would not be considered normal today, but it would not cause much of a stir in conversation. But at the time it was written, it could not have been a more risky article to write. This was exactly the type of ideas people expected from Fern; a cynical, taboo view of life. In her time, women were expected to both dress and act in a certain way. Not only was it expected, but it was considered illegal to do otherwise. Women simply needed knowledge of household duties, and not much else. At the end of the day, the wife should anxiously await the arrival of her husband. In reading Fern’s writing, it is clear that she does not agree with this standard of living. She even implies that the husbands do not want their wives leaving home because they are out causing mischief; wives would catch them during “all these little emergencies”. Fern suggests that if a woman was dressed as a man, she could sneak around and keep a more solid eye on a man. In this era, simply reading this idea would leave the average man in an uncomfortable state. Fern continues to describe the process of getting a suit fitted for her to try out this experiment. She then heads out with Mr. Fern on her leisurely stroll on a “dark” night, with no man to cater to her. She describes this experience as very liberating, because she is allowed to act as she pleases. Fern feels satisfaction in knowing she is going against the grain of society, and ignoring what is considered the norm for female behavior. It may not seem like such a large stride now, but the controversial Fern shows in this article that women had some different views on how they should be treated in that culture.

Making a Stand

Fanny Fern’s, "A Law More Nice Than Just", was written when it was the woman’s job to stay at home all day and clean house. Fanny Fern was the type of woman that wanted to be active and not cooped up in a house all day. I can easily understand where she is coming from because if I put myself in her situation I would be exactly like she is. When she decides that she is tired of waiting around on her husband to get home from wherever he goes, she wants to live a life in the man’s shoes. Her decision to do this would have most likely been accepted in the modern age because our world has changed quite a bit since then. It was illegal for women to dress as men, but Fanny didn’t care. She was tired of feeling unequal.

When she told her husband that she was going to dress up as a man and go out with him, he was in shock that she said that. As she began putting on the clothes, he began to laugh. She said of him, “Tailors must be a stingy set, I remarked, to be so sparing of their cloth, as I struggled into a pair of their handiwork, undeterred by the vociferous laughter of the wretch who had solemnly vowed to “cherish me” through all my tribulations.” This is very humorous to me because he is laughing at her while she is getting dressed as a man, and she is complaining saying he is supposed to “cherish her” as a man. Then it goes on to say, “Still no reply from Mr. Fern, who lay on the floor, faintly ejaculating, between his fits of laughter, ‘Oh, my! by Jove—oh! by Jupiter!’.” I think Mr. Fern is laughing at her because he thinks she will stop, when in fact this drives her to dress as a man even more. As they began to walk she lead, and he drug behind her. Thinking to herself, “Oh, Fanny! Oh, my! but none of these things moved me, and if I don’t have nicely-fitting suit of my own to wear rainy evenings, it is because---well, there are difficulties in the way.” I thought this was really funny because she refers to her female parts as difficulties, which is understandable when she is trying to fit in men’s clothing. At the very end of the story she states, “I’ve as good a right to preserve the healthy body God gave me, as if I were not a woman.” When she says this, she is talking about keeping her parts and still being able to dress as a man. I respect Fanny Fern very much in this story because she is tired of putting up with the men getting to do whatever they please while she sits at home. I think she takes a great stand about how women are really taken advantage of when she decides to go out with her husband dressed as a man!

question 3

In the article “A Law More Nice Than Just,” Fannie Fern writes about how she thinks it is wrong that woman are not allowed to wear pants, she shows this in the way she puts a humorous spin on this situation. She believes it to be liberating to have the joy to wear pants. It is actually illegal to wear pants if you are a woman. She thinks this law is ridiculous, and an awful law. She knows that if she goes around in pants there will be people shocked by it. She says that even if people do talk about it then they should go ahead because she does not care. She talks about how awful it is after a few days of rain to go out with a large petticoat on. She puts a twist of humor on the story when she goes and puts on her husband’s suit. She then realizes that her husband’s clothing does not fit as she thought it would. She put on the suit that was too big for her and finishes the outfit with a hat to cover her hair up with. As she walks down the street she realizes that by dressing this way she cannot be helped in the same way she is use to. For instance she starts to hold the hand of her husband which I am sure looked a little strange for that time since two men would be holding each other’s hand. Also her husband cannot help her over all the puddles on the ground since she has to act masculine. I can only imagine what all of this looked like, I am sure it was a sight to see. Under all the humor that she uses to make this story funny she wants the reader of her article to understand that woman and just as good as men were. Her husband thinks she is completely absurd for her to dress like this but he does not stop her. She makes a serious issue into something that is intensely funny.