live

Louis CK is one of my favorite comedians of all time. When I say "of all time" I don't just mean the time during which I've been alive, I mean since the universe came into existence. He's even funnier than that fish who crawled out of the sea on a pair of legs and said, "I just came out of the water, and boy are my newly-formed lungs tired!" He's also much funnier than that stupid joke I just made.

One of the things I love about Louis CK is that having kids hasn't changed his comedy in the slightest. Yes, he talks about his kids now, but he's still as raunchy and hysterical as he ever was. It's refreshing to watch a comedian who doesn't fall into the usual comedy cliches about being a father.

On October 15 at 8:00 pm, Jon Stewart will host Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education on Comedy Central. The live event will also be simulcast on ComedyCentral.com along with additional footage. A ton of comedians and performers will be featured, including Bob Odenkirk, Jack Black, David Cross, Elvis Costello, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ricky Gervais, Will Ferrell, Norm MacDonald, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler and Paul Rudd. Musician Moby will direct the house band for the evening.

Proceeds from the event will go to several autism educational and advocacy groups, including money from any downloads of the event purchased from the iTunes music store, which will be made available for thirty days starting on October 16. Tickets are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.

Oh man, I've been patiently twiddling my thumbs for the last 3 hours until the finale aired on the West Coast, so I could finally post this. Taylor Hicks is our new American Idol, and I couldn't be happier. Well, I could be (sigh...Chris). But if I can't have Chris, then I'm happy with the Silver Fox. (I hate that nickname by the way. It makes me feel like I've got a crush on an old man. What's the opposite of being a pedophile? Is there a word for that? 'Cause I might have it.) They really took it down to the last minute too. I was biting my nails at 1 hour and 59 minutes, worried that my TiVo was about to pop up with the dreaded "Erase Now? or Save?" quandary. I felt like I was Mr. Eko on Lost, watching that damn clock. But right at the final seconds, Ryan said Taylor's name. Yes! The crazy windmill-dancing bastard pulled it off! I understand why Taylor's dad was crying, but why was David Hasselhoff?

For lack of a better word or description, last night's show was weird and anti-climatic. At first, I was really excited about the contestants doing modern hits from the last 6 years, but then...nothing happened. I kept waiting for that one really great performance that would put the show into overdrive, but it never came.

First off, the show was cut down to a hour last night since there are only 10 contestants left. This made everything feel very rushed. It felt less like a national hit show and more like a filler before House came on. Secondly, all the judges were in agreement last night, and yet they were still fighting. Always weird. Thirdly, lack of time translated into lack of Seacrest zingers. Seacrest zingers are always the cheesiest of zings, and yet, I miss them when they're gone. It's like getting a dollar every year in your birthday card from Grandma. A dollar doesn't get you much (heck, it doesn't get you anything), but that first year when it's not in there...it burns. Finally, I think Kevin might have been eliminated prematurely. I'm convinced that if given the chance, he would have performed Britney Spears' "Toxic" and it would have been the best thing to happen to American Idol since Bobby sung the praises of the Copacabana.