Keeping Boredom At Bay

I remember a class discussion my classmates and I had in Sketch Writing 101 at The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre Student Workshop about the popularity of sketch comedy- a very obvious topic, I know, but moviemakers probably talk about the popularity of movies- and we agreed with our teacher's assessment that we were indeed in a "golden age of sketch comedy."  The obvious argument is that there are a lot of hilarious sketch shows out there, on TV, online, and on stage. SNL, Human Giant, CollegeHumor's Hardly Working, and the many shows at the UCB Theatre immediately come to mind. But we also have to acknowledge our deep interest in sketch writing and the environment inhabited by sketch comedy writers. (This is kind of an intro sentence, but I rather say it here) Sketch comedy is nothing new, but recently it has been explored in new ways. This brings to mind 30 Rock. The show (which is awesome) revolves around the head writer of a Friday night sketch show on NBC, played by the former head writer of a Saturday night sketch show on NBC. I am not highlighting this to bust balls, but rather to show that "the people" like to watch sketch shows as well as shows about sketch shows. That is not the only example. While on Hulu.com (the website where you can watch pretty much anything from NBC, Fox and their cable networks), I noticed they are showing clips of what is in essence a new online show called "SNL Backstage." This seems to be a confluence of the demand for short online clips (for people who are probably pretending to be working) and the interest in sketch comedy. The clips are pretty much people asking the SNL folks (actors, writers, producers, etc.) about the famous sketch show. You know who else puts up short clips about his or her show? Tina Fey, star of 30 Rock (it is called "Ask Tina" and it will rock your girdle). Most important, unlike many (most?) trends in entertainment, this one is great and I am riding it as far as it takes me.

So, without further ado I present my idea for a new show that deals with sketch comedy: It is a mockumentary docudrama, or a mockudrama, that tells the story of a down-and-out sketch show through the "eyes" (because they don't have any) of the stage and his supporting cast of costumes, lights and used cue cards. It's gonna be called "Mise-en-Scène."

Check for it in the fall of 2009 on- it's the best I could do- the NEW CW*!

*as opposed to the old one that actually never existed.   

This clip brings up a ridiculous assertion: that Senator Obama's campaign deliberately got three college-aged guys to wear Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts and to stand behind him as he spoke at a rally in Evansville, Indiana. This short clip asks a rhetorical question at the end: "I guess everyone in Indiana wears Abercrombie & Fitch, heh?" My answer: Not everyone, but most college-aged guys in Indiana. I am only surprised that the three didn't wear the exact same shirt. They must have called each other before they met up.

The democratic primaries in Indiana and North Carolina got me thinking about state flags. They are symbolic and many people take pride in them. But they are meant to represent states and I think that we could do better. The following are ideas for state flags that I think would better represent the fine people of these United States:

New York: My home state deserves something that truly represents reality. I suggest a forklift carrying a huge stack of cash being operated by a teamster who is delivering the cash to a well-dressed upstate Republican to represent how politicians north of Westchester milk the city of billions.

Mississippi: Is there really a confederate flag still on your flag? That's gotta go. Should be replaced by anything else, but I suggest maybe a gravestone marking "Trent Lott's Political Career."

New Jersey: It should just be the album cover to Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."

Michigan: They can have New York's old flag. No one would notice.

North Dakota: "Like South Dakota, but without Mt. Rushmore" emblazoned on the bottom.

Idaho: A farmer in the middle of nowhere, which in Idaho, is synonymous with "everywhere," pointing to a huge nondescript field of dirt saying,"There's potatoes in that dirt!"

Massachusetts: A furious Ted Kennedy, Whitey Bulger bribing someone and a Red Sox fan throwing a dart at Johnny Damon. There was a lot to cover there.

California: As explosions go off in the background, Governor Schwarzenegger, as the Terminator, creates a landslide to put out a forest fire. Plus Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in a head-on collision.

West Virginia: On the real, I would feel bad if I made fun of this state.

Nevada: A frat boy holding a plastic yard glass full of booze puking on himself next to an imploding old casino and the motto, "America's largest desert/mob graveyard."