improv
Jeff Goldblum and Sarah Silverman Get Dirty on 'The League' (VIDEO)
'The League' (Thu., 10:30PM ET on FX) treated us to two fun guest stars who came together in a very disturbing way during an even more disturbing Thanksgiving dinner. It turns out Ruxin's dad, played by Jeff Goldblum, is just like him in almost every way. And we thought one Ruxin was bad.But as bad as it was seeing double, it was nothing to what Andre went through when his sister, played by Sarah Silverman, showed up and confirmed what the guys have been telling him for years ... except for Ruxin. She taught them everything they know about sex, and in fact offered to give Kevin a refresher course when she found out Jenny wasn't as satisfied as she should have been.
'Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza' to Premiere Monday on GSN
For more than a decade, Drew Carey has been connected to the world of televised improv in one form or another, whether it be hosting the U.S. version of the program 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', on ABC from 1998 to 2004 or 'Drew Carey's Green Screen Show,' which aired on both the WB and Comedy Central in 2005 and 2006.Now, after taking a few years off while hosting 'The Price Is Right' and losing nearly 100 pounds, Drew is back on the improv circuit with a new show for cable network GSN titled 'Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza.' Question is, what exactly is 'Improv-a-Ganza' all about?
Sketch Comedy Saturday: The Dana Carvey Show

This installment of Sketch Comedy Saturday is less about you pining for new episodes of Saturday Night Live and more about me having an excuse to use this old image of Stephen Colbert with a puppy. It makes me sick, it's so adorable. Unfortunately, The Dana Carvey Show wasn't just twenty-some minutes of Mr. Colbert nonchalantly holding baby animals, but it was still a pretty funny program.
Amy Poehler gets her own Office?
According to popular rumor, SNL star Amy Poehler is in talks to star in the spin-off series from NBC's The Office. If this is true, she'll be joining fellow SNL alumnus (and former Weekend Update co-anchor and co-star of the movie Baby Mama) Tina Fey as part of NBC's comedy prime-time line-up. No word yet on how Poehler's real-life pregnancy would affect this situation.All I can say is: wow, what a fantastic choice. I've always been impressed with Poehler's work since she co-founded the Upright Citizen's Brigade (which is still going strong on both coasts). I've had the pleasure of seeing her perform comedy improv a few times and noticed how she is leaps and bounds more talented than most of the other people on the stage.
If anybody can lead a sitcom, it's Amy Poehler. If this news is true, I very much look forward to this spin-off and think it may be one of those rare cases in which the spin-off equals or is even greater than the original.
Ten Colbert clips you probably haven't seen - VIDEOS
Hardcore Stephen Colbert fans might take one look at this list and scoff. To them I say, "Hey, girls who live on the Colboards, chill out." This list is meant for the casual fan of The Colbert Report, who loves the show and, at most, knows Colbert's history through The Daily Show and maybe a little Strangers with Candy.As someone who has been a fan of Colbert for about eight years, I'm here to educate, here to spread the good Word. It is the duty of a good fan -- especially one with too much time on her hands -- to change the minds of people that see Colbert just as the TV blowhard who happens to share his name.
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The Office Convention: Part Two -- Things to do in Scranton when you're dead
(Continued from Part One...)After checking in (and eating my own weight in free press-room pizza), I went down to see what there was worth seeing...
(It should be noted that from this point forward I will only be referring to the actors on The Office by their character names and not their real names. You could make the argument that this is disrespectful, but I think that it's actually a testimony to how good the actors on this show are. Even when you're in the same room as them, you're not thinking, wow, look, I'm standing in the same room as Leslie David Baker, you're thinking: hey look, it's Stanley!)
Harland Williams uncensored - VIDEO
Harland Williams was the only funny thing about Monday night's episode of Thank God You're Here. And he was so damn funny that my abs got a workout as I laughed my way through his entire improved scene. Unlike the other players, who waited to see what the stage actors had planned for them, Harland walked into the scene and took control.Harland got a little dirty near the end (improv ain't funny 'less it's dirty, folks) and NBC censored him several times. In fact, the very end of his scene had a joke completely edited out because the censors apparently couldn't make it fly by just bleeping him. Did anyone else find it interesting that the censors left in references to drugs, but edited out the sexual references?
The edited portion of his scene is in this video. And the uncensored version of another part of his scene is here. Both videos are also after the jump.
CBS snags Ferguson for new improv show
CBS has plans for two new reality/game shows, one about real people who make announcements via huge dance numbers, and a new improv/sketch comedy game show (hosted by Craig Ferguson) of which no significant details have been released just yet. Both shows have been greenlit by the network.
Life as a Song, is a reality program in which people can make big announcements or ask questions (I predict we'll see a few marriage proposals) through an elaborate song and dance number. The series comes from the producers behind Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
Reno 911!: Episode 408
(S04E08) Yeah, I know the title of the episode isn't really "Episode 408," but the real titles never pop up until a few days after the show airs, at least not on the sites I check. If any of you lovely readers knows where I can find the actual episode titles, let me know in the comments. I'll give you mad props.
As a fan of Reno 911 since the very beginning, it's difficult for me to say this: the show isn't as good as it used to be. Of course, when a show is improvised like Reno, there are always moments of genius, but there are just two many instances of the same jokes, or gags you see coming a mile away. The opening scene with the bomb inside the bus would have been funnier had it not been obvious from the beginning that the bus was going to explode.
See a sneak peek of Thank God You're Here on YouTube - VIDEO
Thank God You're Here, an improvisational show in which celebrities must walk into the middle of a scene and try to ad lib their way through it, will air on NBC April 9, but you can check out a few clips of the show on YouTube right now, courtesy of NBC. I've placed a scene with Tom Arnold after the jump for your harsh judgment.
While I'm a huge fan of improv, having seen more than a few Second City performances, not to mention both the British and American versions of Whose Line is it Anyway? (the British one is better), I have to say that, based only on these short clips, Thank God You're Here lacks the cohesiveness and professionalism that made Whose Line so enjoyable. When I watched Whose Line, I knew the performers were professionals and could handle anything, but watching Jason Alexander and Tom Arnold struggle through their scenes just pulls me in too many directions: one moment I'm laughing and the next moment I'm worried the actors are just going to freeze up.
I think the show will be worth a look, but something tells me it won't be the most consistent comedy on television.
Reno and Mencia return April 1
Reno's finest return to Comedy Central April 1 at 10:30 to finish off the fourth season of Reno 911!, the improvised comedy series created by and starring The State alumni Tom Lennon, Robert Ben Garrant and Kerri Kenney-Silver (along with Niecy Nash, Cedric Yarbrough, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Mary Birdsong and Carlos Alazraqui).
Halfway Home - an early look
Following Reno 911! and the canceled Dog Bites Man comes yet another improvised comedy series for Comedy Central: Halfway Home. The new series stars Oscar Nunez, Jordan Black, Kevin Ruf, Regan Burns, Jessica Makinson and Octavia Spencer as residents of a halfway house who are trying to straighten themselves out, and not doing a very good job of it. Nunez and Ruf also serve as executive producers.
David Alan Grier developing news show for Comedy Central
Fake news must be Comedy Central's bread-and-butter these days. The network has no fewer than three fake news shows: The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and The Showbiz Show with David Spade. Now it's considering a fourth faux news program for its lineup. This time, it's The Chocolate News, starring David Alan Grier.David Alan Grier is one of the funniest comedians out there right now, but nothing ever seems to stick for him. He was hilarious on Bonnie Hunt's short-lived show, Life With Bonnie, and on In Living Color back in the early 1990s. Mostly, though, he just plays great supporting roles or guest stars on current television shows.
Grier is currently rounding up writers and other talent to appear in the pilot he's pitching to Comedy Central. He has also agreed to host a new improv show on NBC this spring called Thank God You're Here.
[Via TV Tattle]
Puppet Up clips on TBS site
You can watch clips of the Jim Henson Company's Puppet Up! Uncensored improv shows on TBS' Laugh Lab site. New sketches will be added every Wednesday.
Puppet Up! Uncensored is an improved stage show from the Jim Henson Company that's essentially Who's Line Is It Anyway?, but with puppets. A Puppet Up! special was shown on TBS not long ago, and I found myself enjoying it, albeit intermittently.
Upright Citizens Brigade DVD Update
Last weekend, the original members of the Upright Citizens Brigade filmed four shows in LA for an upcoming DVD release from Shout! Factory. In an interview with The Coming, UCB member Matt Besser recapped the shows' highlights and announced that this may be the start of an actual DVD comedy label for UCB. Expect to see excerpts from the group's ASSSSCAT improv performances and sets from monologists Paul F. Tompkins, Tom Lennon and Kate Walsh on the DVDs. Another interesting TV-related tidbit from the interview. Besser has been cast as Kayne West's chauffeur in the rapper's new show in development with HBO. Besser has spent the past month coaching Kayne in improv. Kayne doing improv? Looks like West may be vying for the title of hip-hop comedy king. Shouldn't be too hard to steal from Snoop "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" Dogg.
Read the full interview at The Coming.
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