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April 09, 2007

Martin & Kelly

I never watch Live with Regis and Kelly, but caught a few minutes this morning because I wanted to see Gina Glocksen. Regis is out on the DL, and Martin Short is filling in. OMG, is there anyone funnier than Martin Short? He's off-the-hook! Regis better hurry back, or he may be out of a job.

Posted by annika, Apr. 9, 2007 | TrackBack (0)
Rubric: Arts



Comments

You know, I think some of these comedians we don't hold in too high a regard - and I've never really thought of Short as anything other than merely mildly funny - are actually at their best in unscripted circumstances. A comedian I figured I'd loathe - Bob Saget - once did some interview on TV. I was reaching for the remote when he got out his first 3, stream of consciousness riffs, and I ended up staying and laughing my ass off the whole time. Saget - the man responsible for that "Full House" atrocity on television, not to mention painfully forced observations on that funniest home video thing show - had me laughing so hard I was wheezing, all due to his ADD-afflicted nonstop riffing.

I'd guess the same thing's true with Short. I've never openly disliked him, but he's never been my first choice when I think of funny men. But given Saget and a few other similar cases I haven't mentioned, I'd bet Short's a riot when he's not trying to deliver someone else's lines.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus on Apr. 9, 2007

Annika,

Great, I love Martin Short. Have always thought he was a really funny guy since back in his SCTV days doing Jackie Rogers Jr. and a few others. We saw his show "Death Becomes Me" on Broadway last year and had a great time. The Prime Time Glick show was also very funny. He does some Glick in the Broadway show and drags different performers out of the audience and does a Glick style interview. Alex Trebeck was our night's patsy. The show was a take off on one person shows and was delightful.

MONDO, did you see Saget's Aristocrats bit? I, too always thought he was a dork, but he is pretty well respected among comics.

Posted by: strawman on Apr. 9, 2007

Yeah, I did. That's a perfect example of what I mean by ADD-afflicted delivery. His complete randomness of direction actually showed a faster mind than what I ever used to give him credit for. I always judged him by Full House (mom loved the show, so I was sorta forced to endure it) and America's Funniest Home Videos, and I now know those aren't anywhere near being good indicators of his talent.

And yeah, I got that impression about his standing among other comics too. I remember at a Comedy Caravan night that we in the crowd were talking with the opening act after the show. One of his questions to us was "Favorite Comic?!". On my turn, I rattled off a list ('cause everyone else did), then said "... and I found out Bob Saget was pretty damn funny too." No verbal response, he just pointed at me and gravely nodded his head in agreement. Some lady close by said "Seriously?", and that guy nodded again, wide eyed, then said "Yeah. Seriously. Watch his standup sometime." That may not have been a very verbose reaction from him, but it was a very telling and completely honest one.

Funny thing was, the headliner told us couldn't stand Saget.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus on Apr. 11, 2007

I heard that Bob Saget once told somebody at the hospital, after his daughter was born, that he'd "let 'em finger her for a dollar". I also heard that half his act is making jokes about fucking the Olsen Twins.

Posted by: reagan80 on Apr. 11, 2007

Ew! Ewwwwww!

I hate him, I like him, I hate him, I like him... the more I find out, the more I get yanked between like and dislike.

But the Olsen twins? Cripes, who didn't make jokes about f***** them? It's only after they turned legitimately legal that we all realized "Damn! They turned out skankier than I thought they would!..." I never liked heroin-level anorexia in Kate Moss, and I don't like it in M.K. and Ashley. There's a difference between elegantly slender and "Damn, chick, eat a sandwich!".

Posted by: ElMondoHummus on Apr. 12, 2007

Actually, I wasn't trying to bash Saget by pointing those out. I was just shocked to learn that he wasn't always some sterile sit-com dork.

It would be like discovering that Angela Lansbury was in the Vagina Monologues or something. And, no, "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" isn't an S&M flick.

Posted by: reagan80 on Apr. 12, 2007