All posts tagged: comedy

Ice Cube and Chris Tucker’s Sons Recreate Comedy Friday for L.A. Rams

Ice Cube and Chris Tucker’s Sons Recreate Comedy Friday for L.A. Rams

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Los Angeles Rams drafted the sons of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker to recreate their famous father’s classic comedy Friday. O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Destin Tucker headline the reimagined take, titled Thursday, starring alongside Terry Crews, YG, Kevin Dotson, Jared Verse, Byron Young and Big Boy as part of the team’s newest installment of its draft campaign. It dropped today ahead of the NFL Draft next week on all Rams digital and social platforms. Friday, directed by F. Gary Gray from a script by Cube and DJ Pooh, came out in 1995 from New Line Cinema. It starred Cube as Craig and Tucker as Smokey, two friends who must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won’t be a Saturday. Agency partners at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles worked with the Rams to develop an reimagined version for the draft, one that “celebrates the cultural impact” of Friday in the communities where Rams fans live. They even filmed at the original Friday house located in the West Athens neighborhood southeast of SoFi …

When Jokes Won’t Do: Affective Shifts in U.S. Late-Night Comedy

When Jokes Won’t Do: Affective Shifts in U.S. Late-Night Comedy

Published by Jenni Sidey

The news these days seems dire, so much so that people are opting out. News avoidance is a rapidly increasing phenomenon, mainly because a growing number of people are overwhelmed by the sheer onslaught of negativity. Simultaneously, we have seen the continued rise in popularity of an entire genre of media whose job it is to find the funny in what many feel to be too much to bear. We are, of course, talking about late-night comedy. In times of exceptional turmoil, many audiences turn to their favorite late-night host to experience some form of catharsis or distraction and slowly begin the process of making sense and making meaning out of tragedy. And yet, all too often, in moments of crisis, they are met with unusually somber or emotional monologues. Just think of Trevor Noah’s statements after the George Floyd killing, Jimmy Kimmel’s tearful speech in the aftermath of the Uvalde massacre or—more recently—Jon Stewart’s emotional response to the killing of Renee Good. All of these constitute what we have coined “affective shifts,” a rhetorical …

Iranians are mocking Starmer with a VERY crude joke about his name | UK | News

Iranians are mocking Starmer with a VERY crude joke about his name | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

To millions of Persian speakers, the Prime Minister’s first name sounds remarkably similar to one of the language’s most commonly used obscenities. The word کیر — transliterated as “kir” — is a vulgar term for a penis, and Sir Keir Starmer has been unable to escape the joke since the outbreak of the Iran war. The linguistic similarity has long been noted by Iranian diaspora communities, but mockery on social media surged sharply over the past month as Sir Keir’s perceived passivity during escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf gave Persian-speaking users fresh ammunition. The volume peaked this week when the Prime Minister declared that Britain would not participate in any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a statement that prompted an immediate eruption of jokes, with many users referring to him openly as “Kir Starmer.” “From his name, you can tell what kind of man he is,” one user wrote on X. “So this Kir Starmer made fools of us! Uncle, we know!” wrote another. A third said: “If Starmer was any good, …

Lorne Michaels says he doesn’t think comedy does much good in the face of ‘totalitarian government’

Lorne Michaels says he doesn’t think comedy does much good in the face of ‘totalitarian government’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Lorne Michaels, the mastermind behind Saturday Night Live, has admitted that he thinks comedy has little power against totalitarianism. The 81-year-old creator of the long-running sketch series made the comments Tuesday after a Los Angeles screening of his new documentary Lorne, directed by Morgan Neville. “I think in the face of totalitarian government, I don’t think comedy really does much good; I think the totalitarians win every single time,” Michaels argued. He clarified, however, that “there is something as a safety valve in a culture which comedy is a really important part, and being able to even think those thoughts.” SNL is known for commenting on the current political climate. Michaels has won 24 of his record-breaking 112 Emmy nominations, many of which he received as an executive producer for ‘SNL’ (Getty) In the most recent episode’s “Weekend Update” segment, cast …

The best comedy on Netflix isn’t a Netflix original — and it’s leaving soon

The best comedy on Netflix isn’t a Netflix original — and it’s leaving soon

Published by skeptic

Netflix remains the best streaming service out there because of the sheer amount of content on offer, from dramas to comedies to great shows you’ve never heard of until they suddenly blow up out of nowhere. But not all of that content stays on the service forever. A lot of the best stuff on Netflix isn’t actually made in house, which means it’s subject to licensing agreements, which means it may come and go from the service over time. One of the funniest series on Netflix is about to leave, and it deserves the spotlight before it goes. Documentary Now! is a hysterical series And it’s about to leave Netflix Documentary Now! premiered on IFC, a cable channel dedicated to independent film, in 2015. It’s an anthology series where almost every episode stands alone, so you can hop in at any point without fear of getting lost. The gimmick is that each episode parodies a different documentary film, from Netflix hits like Wild Wild Country (parodied as “Batsh*t Valley”) to deep cuts like Nanook of …

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside review – a gobsmacking comedy about fertility | Comedy

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside review – a gobsmacking comedy about fertility | Comedy

Published by Sam Flores

‘I know this show can be uncomfortable,” says Riki Lindhome, sat at her keyboard after a song about pregnancy loss. But if Dead Inside is never cosy viewing, it’s funny, entertaining and emotionally involving to a high degree. Hardened viewers of trauma-comedy, a staple of fringe festivals in recent times, may feel jaded at the prospect of “a one-woman musical comedy about my fertility journey”. Their faith in the form will be wholly refreshed by this American’s beautifully judged hour, chronicling her by turns sad, amusing and gobsmacking efforts to become a mother. Refreshing … Riki Lindhome in Dead Inside. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/the Guardian Something about the modesty of the undertaking is key: few autobiographical shows feel less “me, me, me”. Lindhome signs off most of her songs with a demure “that’s it”; the production values (right down to the disembodied hand sticking out of the wings to operate a bubble machine) are unassuming. Our host would, let’s face it, prefer not to be telling this story about frozen embryos, failed IVF, seven surgeries in …

Twenty Twenty Six review: Hugh Bonneville’s bumbling Ian Fletcher is back in BBC’s comedy treat

Twenty Twenty Six review: Hugh Bonneville’s bumbling Ian Fletcher is back in BBC’s comedy treat

Published by Daniella Wilson

Hugh Bonneville’s bumbling and bemused Ian Fletcher is back. But this time, he’s blundering his way through corporate crises across the pond to oversee the planning of the FIFA World Cup.  Ian has quite the CV. In Twenty Twelve, a mockumentary about a fictional committee tasked with planning the 2012 Olympic Games, he was Head of Deliverance of the Olympic Deliverance Commission. Its sequel, W1A, saw him become the BBC’s Head of Values. Now, nearly a decade later, Ian has embarked on a new chapter in Miami as Director of Integrity for the 2026 football tournament, which David Tennant’s narrator tells us is “a key post”. © BBC/Expectation/ANA BLUMENKRONHugh Bonneville reprises his role as Ian Fletcher Fans of the first two series can expect more of the same as Ian is faced with another ragtag bunch of quirky characters with nonsense job titles. But this time, his employees are far more direct, and unlike in W1A, not every idea is “brilliant”.   © BBC/Expectation Entertainment/Jack BarnesIan is faced with a new group of hapless colleagues …

Schitt’s Creek creator’s new Netflix comedy has near-perfect 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score

Schitt’s Creek creator’s new Netflix comedy has near-perfect 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy’s new comedy series is a hit with audiences, earning an impressive 95 percent positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. Big Mistakes, which stars Levy and Taylor Ortega as two incapable siblings, Nick and Morgan, who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime, premiered on Netflix Thursday, April 9. Laurie Metcalf plays their mother, Linda. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the series has 18 positive critics’ scores and just one negative. It was co-created by Rachel Sennott — who was originally set to play Levy’s sibling; however, her HBO comedy I Love LA was picked up to series, ruling her out. Jack Innanen, Boran Kuzum and Abby Quinn also star. “You might think the minds behind Schitt’s Creek and Bottoms would make for strange bedfellows, but Levy and Sennott’s sensibilities combine for a compelling blend of dark family …

Celebrity Traitors and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed: ‘SNL UK is the best thing for British comedy since The Office’

Celebrity Traitors and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed: ‘SNL UK is the best thing for British comedy since The Office’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Nick Mohammed has been faithful to the stage for a very long time; his helium-voiced comedy character Mr Swallow has been a fixture at comedy venues for 16 years. But he reckons he landed the gig hosting the Oliviers, the biggest night in theatre, because of a strong performance elsewhere: The Celebrity Traitors. There, he sleuthed his way to the end, almost taking down eventual winner Alan Carr, before falling at the final hurdle. “I’m sure Celebrity Traitors is one of the biggest, if not the single reason I’m getting to host the Oliviers,” the funnyman tells me. “I could have gone out on day one or two, and then I probably wouldn’t be doing it.” Mohammed is an inspired choice, picking up the mantle from Beverley Knight, Billy Porter, and his Ted Lasso co-star Hannah Waddingham, who hosted in 2023 …

“Shall We Go For It?” How ‘Titaníque’ Sailed From a Grocery Store Basement to Broadway

“Shall We Go For It?” How ‘Titaníque’ Sailed From a Grocery Store Basement to Broadway

Published by Sam Flores

A word-of-mouth downtown hit, Titaníque bears more than a passing resemblance to another buzzy show that made it to Broadway, the Tony-winning Oh, Mary! Both projects take a particularly tragic moment in the nation’s history—in this case, the sinking of the Titanic—and tell the story from a different, kookier perspective. But unlike its Broadway predecessor, Titaníque has more than just American history to mine for comedy—it also lampoons James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning blockbuster, Titanic, starring a young Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack. As if that weren’t enough, Titaníque also dares to ask this question: What if Céline Dion, the iconic French Canadian chanteuse who sang the movie’s timeless anthem, “My Heart Will Go On,” were actually aboard the Titanic in 1912? And, what’s more, what if Jack and Rose’s fictional love story were set to Dion’s inimitable catalogue, which includes but is not limited to certified adult-contemporary bops like “Taking Chances,” “I Surrender,” and “All by Myself”? With that hyperspecific, insanely stupid premise, Titaníque set sail. Of course, an …