comedians who've gained stardom by being "cute" instead of funny

Jimmy Fallon
Andy Samberg
Demetri Martin

don rickles

Dr Morbius

no, see, I was born too soon.

Sarah Silverman.

Dylan Moran

http://www.thechancer.ie/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/boosh2.jpg

otm

Sarah Silverman is cute + funny (xp)

Sarah Silverman.

First person I thought of when I saw the thread title.

Flight Of The Conchords

^^^realest of talk

http://www.keeganorange.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/bill-engvall.jpg

well Silverman's made me laugh more than the 3 I posted combined, x10

Also that's OTM about samberg, but in the last year or so he has since either grown on me or gotten funny.

I can't believe Jimmy Fallon still has a career.

wost of all, fucking Flight Of The Conchords' "jokes" are just cutsey bullshit. oh haha he he says "kebeb" instead of "kebab" amazing lols second season and grammy nom please

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/sheliabluerose/EddieIzzardpink.jpg

Stewart Lee: "So I thought I'd improvise. Like Eddie Izzard pretends to do. And it's actually really hard, I can see why he just reads off a script and goes 'errrr...' occasionally"

Josie Long.

flight of the conchords is pretty funny

Alan Davies... is he a comedian?

Dom just out of interest is there any British stand-up you actually like?

Eddie Izzard -- NO FUCKING WAY. One of the best stand-ups I've seen (admittedly, this was the late 1980s, with my dad) and worth it for the "brought up by wolves" routine alone.

Might have lost it since then; I'll accept that. Unequivocally.

I would like to know precisely what definition of "cute" is being used here. So far the only "cute" person listed is Sarah Silverman, and she's also funny.

so psyched to argue about comedy on this thread

I'm thinking cute as a way of saying 'unthreatening'.

So far the only "cute" person listed is Sarah Silverman, and she's also funny.

She didn't make me (or anyone else) laugh at that Secret Policeman's Ball thing.

i tend to be cute more than funny, probably

Dom just out of interest is there any British stand-up you actually like?

― Holy Suffering Gobi Desert Clit Nun (Matt DC), Thursday, 5 February 2009 15:54 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tbh, and we've discussed this on another thread, I honestly don't think stand-up is an artform the British will ever be any good at. Stewart Lee is great if occasionally formulaic, and obviously there's old school lulz from sets guys like Dave Allen, Ronnie Corbett, and, grudgingly, Billy Connolly used to put out, but as a whole British stand-up is dreadful. To the point where if I _had_ to put together a list of the 10 best stand-ups in Britain currently, I'd have to put Roy Chubby Brown in the top 5.

ken c

I think Sarah Silverman's only funny if your parents never swore.

Stewart Lee's newish bit about Asher D's autibiography is fire

I honestly don't think stand-up is an artform the British will ever be any good at

please list countries you believe are demonstrably capable of producing good stand-up comedians

I was partly thinking 'unthreatening' yes (except I'd prefer a crowbar to the head to Fallon's head-tossing ladies-I'm-so-adorable shtick), and cute as in I'd totally use Samberg's mouth.

uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

the skinny flight of the conchords dude is kinda cute if beardy

wost of all, fucking Flight Of The Conchords' "jokes" are just cutsey bullshit. oh haha he he says "kebeb" instead of "kebab" amazing lols second season and grammy nom please

what a keen and perceptive comment shows real insight imo

please list countries you believe are demonstrably capable of producing good stand-up comedians

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Thursday, 5 February 2009 16:00 (35 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

USA
Ireland
Maybe Canada.
That's it.

Not Ireland

Comedians who are too whimsical for your taste (or are women).

I think Sarah Silverman's only funny if your parents never swore.

^^^ this

the skinny flight of the conchords dude is kinda cute if beardy

my girl is way into this dude, to the extent that when we watch it the character i identify with most is mel's husband

Tom Hanks
Sally Field

many of Silverman's best gags on her CC sitcom are non-profane.

The outrageously mean shit she said about Paris Hilton going to jail ranks among one of the funniest things I've ever seen (especially since Paris was in the audience).

Also, her Comedy Central show is more often funny than not; the one where she becomes black for a day by putting on blackface and attributes the hostile attention she gets to racism was outstanding.

USA
Ireland
Maybe Canada.
That's it.

so seeing as you're in honest mood, why would the list be so incredibly short? and what affects UK stand-up quality?

Lucy Porter?

If cute = would smash

is the sarah silverman show based on plots adapted from ilx threads

It seems like it!

what year did ethan walk around in blackface?

the spark for this thread btw is I can't believe Demetri fucking Martin has a show, let alone has a big role in Ang Lee's next film.

dont wanna hear my name come out your fuckin mouth dr morbius

I've never seen Flight Of the Conchords, but I looked for clips on youtube and I couldn't find a single one that wasn't a musical number. I hated them all. HE CALLS HIS BALLS SUGAR LUMPS AND HE IS DANCING LOL seems to be the appeal? Er somethin?

the one where she becomes black for a day by putting on blackface and attributes the hostile attention she gets to racism was outstanding

i think her show is lulz but it does wear thin pretty quickly i mean this is like the plot to half the episodes but replace black with homeless or w/e okay and by half the episodes i mean like maybe four of them but still

so seeing as you're in honest mood, why would the list be so incredibly short? and what affects UK stand-up quality?

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Thursday, 5 February 2009 16:08 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I honestly don't know. Hmmm... you know how I always rag on neo-burlesque? Maybe it's a similar thing: this doesn't work because it's not UK heritage. Music hall shows didn't have stand-ups in the classic Catskilss zinger heritage, they had dudes like Max Miller or whoever.

the musical numbers tend to be the weakest bits of flight of the conchords imo

the Pet shop boys one is good (altho weird in a "why now?" way)

Eddie Izzard is probably the best answer so far. Not that I hate. Otherwise, Russell Howard if you ignore the "stardom" part.

I think Sarah Silverman's only funny if your parents never swore.

^I know this is meaningless, but still, nope.

i think maybe the thing with sarah silverman is that she's funny but not good at standup? i have heard she tends to choke at her live shows. i kind of hate her, so i haven't seen her sitcom but i hear good things.

http://www.thefunkstore.com/CurrentCDs/June2006/CD-BillCosbyFunkAlbum.jpg

I don't like Sarah Silverman's comedy at all, but she's a pro in execution. All the folks listed so far are good at being funny comedians to those who find them funny. Which is to say, they're pros. So knocking them is like knocking Dave Matthews, kind of.

I am really hoping Fallon's talkshow craters like no one since Chevy Chase

agree with that but dont think jimmy fallon is actually good at being a funny comedian to those who find him funny - good at being "liked" but not actually funny, feel same about homeboy from the office

xp at this point tho i have the hunch we're gonna find out dudes blankness makes him actually a really good interviewer or something

I honestly don't know. Hmmm... you know how I always rag on neo-burlesque? Maybe it's a similar thing: this doesn't work because it's not UK heritage. Music hall shows didn't have stand-ups in the classic Catskilss zinger heritage, they had dudes like Max Miller or whoever.

surely part of it is that as with music, everything is judged by standards set by the dominant and better-funded US work and players (ignoring all the bad stuff). film and tv drama are also affected here. the heritage thing is interesting and suggests authenticity assures quality. maybe it's true but i try to remain optimistic that such obstacles can be worked around. there are other things that affect this (not just money but general cultural attitudes too - suppose it's all connected tho).

Brian Posehn

btw who ARE the best US stand-ups to have emerged in the last ten years?

agree with that but dont think jimmy fallon is actually good at being a funny comedian to those who find him funny - good at being "liked" but not actually funny, feel same about homeboy from the office

I agree, they seem to have very similar fanbases.

Morbs, forget Chevy Chase, I hope his show bombs like Pat Sajak's.

btw who ARE the best US stand-ups to have emerged in the last ten years?

deeznuts, for one

Nevermind, I think Sajak's show lasted longer. It just seemed like a huge bomb.

btw who ARE the best US stand-ups to have emerged in the last ten years?

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Thursday, 5 February 2009 16:22 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Define "emerged in the past ten years"? I mean, Chappelle was doing Hollywood work sixteen years ago, but I'd honestly consider "For What It's Worth" and "Killin' Them Softly" to be the two best stand-up shows of the decade so far.

dmetri martin is the first person that came to mind, ditto morbs

i immediately thought of demetri and morbs as the best examples of this

re emerging: Patton Oswalt (def not cute)

I avoid standups like the plague

Love Patton.

http://www.chicagogigs.com/images/content/dane-cook_dane-cook_concerts_tickets_847873.jpg

"cute" here just means charming, not necessarily attractive, right? cute comedians = those who get by on likeability & unthreatening goofiness more than on coming up with genuinely funny material. it's a hard line to draw, though, cuz all the best comedians use their personas to make their material be/seem funnier than it seems/is (don rickles, richard pryor, eddie izzard).

Dane Cook's "You Suck At Photoshop" series is way better than his standup, most of which seems to revolve around telling his audience that they're vacuous idiots and that is what makes them awesome (ps ladies, sneak backstage and he will cum up yr nose)

someone should do "you suck at comedy"

h8 dane cook, but he seems like an affable-enough actor? i've only seen him in dan in real life

I like that his own brother embezzled all of his money. I guess everyone hates Dane Cook.

btw who ARE the best US stand-ups to have emerged in the last ten years?

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Thursday, February 5, 2009 11:22 AM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Patton Oswalt and Louis CK are the best ones doing it imho

I like what Oswalt I've seen, recommendations for a CK stand-up show available for torrenting? I've only seen his sitcom over here, which I really liked.

"cute" here just means charming, not necessarily attractive, right?

means indie looking in most of these examples shockingly enough

Patton Oswalt and Louis CK are the best ones doing it imho

don't seem to be getting any exposure over here (unless on some obscure cable channel)

Patton Oswalt was the rat in "Ratatoullie"

ngl I've laughed @ demitri martin jokes before :/

i think Andy Samberg has pretty much saved snl from being totally horrible. he does over-do it sometimes (laser cats) but dick in a box and the ahmadinejad song were great.

I like that his own brother embezzled all of his money. I guess everyone hates Dane Cook.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Thursday, February 5, 2009 11:39 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

getting millions of dollars stolen from him is definitely the first thing he's done that i laughed at

don't seem to be getting any exposure over here (unless on some obscure cable channel)

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Thursday, 5 February 2009 16:45 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Louis CK's "Lucky Louie" sitcom showed on FX/2 back in 2007.

somebody other than me needs to write an article about how andy samberg is the allan sherman for a modern generation of jews

Patton Oswalt was also a regular on "King of Queens".

xp: go for it (I mean it)

<3 u too boo

was gonna call u boobius but that sound like a boob

that bill cosby record is pretty dope

Dane Cook's "You Suck At Photoshop" series is way better than his standup, most of which seems to revolve around telling his audience that they're vacuous idiots and that is what makes them awesome (ps ladies, sneak backstage and he will cum up yr nose)

― nosotros niggamos (HI DERE), Thursday, February 5, 2009 11:32 AM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i think i read somewhere that this isnt actually him

;-)

It's not

i think i read somewhere that this isnt actually him

yeah, I just tracked this down; it does explain why it's so much funnier than Cook's stand-up

i think it was actually george carlin dennis miller bill cosby kurt vonnegut dennis leary andy rooney dane cook

does Nick Swardson qualify for this thread? now and again he's funny but just so irritatingly cloying with his whole persona.

who the f is nick swardson

has stand-up specials on comedy central constantly, plays bit parts in a lot of 'happy madison' movies

^someone please started happy madison movie poll

'hot rod' was funny. demetri martin is often funny.

The real answer to this thread:

http://moldychum.typepad.com/moldy_chum/images/carrottop.jpg

ngl I've laughed @ demitri martin dane cook jokes before :/

yeah i know

he had this one joke about being drunk at a party

I'd totally use Samberg's mouth.
I'd totally use Samberg's mouth.
I'd totally use Samberg's mouth.

Jimmy Fallon
Andy Samberg
Demetri Martin

― Dr Morbius, Thursday, February 5, 2009 10:37 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

these guys are all the worst

ayo brits:

Louis CK at his finest:

Robin Williams looks just like John Paul Jones in that clip.

Demetri Martin is exactly who I thought of too. I would not go to a Flight of the Conchords concert but I think their show is real funny now.

I couldn't believe how much Dane Cook brightened the screen with his first appearance in Dan in Real Life

i hav def lold hard @ flight of the conchords

i would use andy samberg's mouth, just not after morbs does, fwiw

I at least hope we can all agree on the usability of Andy Samberg's mouf

i would use it as a bottle opener

I laughed the first time Jimmy Fallon did his Adam Sandler impression on SNL when I was like 14

morbs elmo wants to go first is that cool w/yoo

just another day at the orifice!

probly not

http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/lY/john-yoo-040308-lg.jpg

does it constitute torture tell us

only Samberg could tell you, but the words may be garbled.

looking forward to the "would use his/her mouth" thread on 77

wum09

mouth-to-mouth after being drowned

http://www.tehskeen.com/gfx/200803/wum.gif

At least it'd be one less ws thread that Jewel would appear on.

see what I mean?

HE'S 35?

man that guy is lucky they came up with indie

I thought he was 24 or something, now he just reminds me of this creepy grad student/drug dealer that stays in school so he can hit on 18 yr olds.

Nicole is there anyone from the present you don't find creepy?

Puppies?

Demetri Martin is exactly who I thought of too.

I think I was too kind in my estimation of his act for too long, based on him being kinda funny on the Daily Show, and having one Comedy Central special that made me think, "I get it. He's clever!" But he wears thin *real* fast.

Not even PUPPIES, Nicole, you totally ragged on my dog

This feels like the Army-McCarthy hearings!

I'm sure your dog is v. cute even if it is a purse dog and as such is not even legitimately a dog.

lol owned

i've laughed at demetri martin on the daily show. don't know if i could take a whole set.

i've laughed at samberg at least twice on snl.

jimmy fallon's celebrity/ appeal remains a mystery

He is a medium-sized poultry-herding dog and I hate you

is he bigger than a breadbox

Cornish gamehens, maybe.

somebody other than me needs to write an article about how andy samberg is the allan sherman for a modern generation of jews

― and what, Thursday, February 5, 2009 4:49 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i always thought samberg was more of a modern-day sweathog

I thought he was 24 or something, now he just reminds me of this creepy grad student

Because everyone over 30 is creepy!?

strue ;_;

Yes.

poultry-herding dog is the most ridiculous type of dog i have ever heard of

yeah that's like a 'couch holding down dog' or something

do they breed a moustache-waxing dog these days

Origami folding dog

andy samberg is funny. jimmy fallon was good on weekend update. the other guy bugs me

What the hell is Fallon even going to do with Late Night? It'd be pointless for him to try to be another Conan ... maybe he could do something with his inoffensive cutesy schtick. uhrhgh.

Alright I want to see Nabisco's dog

Rejected Iggy Pop song title.

Silverman is not funny at all. I find her really annoying.

Izzard and The Boosh are great though - Dom is crazy.

I'm going to see Demetri soon and hope he is funny because while I loved the special he did a couple years ago the one I saw most recently wasn't as good.

Silverman = both poo poo AND pee pee

Silverman and Cook are oddly intertwined. Both shot to superstardom around the same time (after being around for ten years or so), both are amazingly beautiful looking compared to your average stand-up comic, and they both employ comedy that primarily appeals to the opposite sex.

wheels within wheels

Ezekiel 1:16-21 (NIV)
This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Amen.

Ok that's creepy.

I have this theory that IRL, Ezekiel smelled really bad.

ezikiel is way and far away the creepiest bible. in order to demonstrate his problems with the sins of jerusalem, he drew a picture of the city on a tile, and set up armaments against the tile, and finally pressed his face to a frying pan held between himself and the tile, all while lying in a city square. for an undisclosed but apparently rather long series of days.

plus also baked and ate barley cakes with "the dung that cometh out of man", and did so "in their sight". to enhance the protest, i mean.

woof.

Poultry-herding dog:

http://www.freewebs.com/sayhellotomylittlefriend305/dog-chicken.jpg

http://image-1-stage-my.cmt.ca/Assets/CMS/ManagedAssets/9a995baf8eb647fabbbf7e1ac70f9012.jpg

id put the mighty boosh etc down as 'comedians whove gained stardom by being 'weird'/'quirky'/'edgy' (but arent obv) instead of funny'.

btw, NY Times' reserved thumbs-up for the Demetri Martin show describes him as "adorable."

(and also that some bits "walk a wobbly tightrope between cute and annoying.")

walking a wobbly tightrope between punchable and just plain change the channel

I heart ron white. I wish he wouldn't hang out with those dudes.

I think I'd kill myself if I got called "adorable" at 35. Babies and kittens are adorable, not grown men.

Younger people can be adorable, but I think the cutoff point is 25 or so. And even that is being generous.

I think I'd kill myself if I got called "adorable" at 35. Babies and kittens are adorable, not grown men.

You know, your viewpoint might change once you find yourself on the other side of 35.

I'm 36

I said "might"!

Yeah, I'm like grandma moses here and I'm not really into the whole idea of being adorable.

little old ladies can be adorable too, but not too many of them in comedy. (Phyllis Diller does get more lovable every year)

watched an ep of demetri martin's show last night: some of the worst shit i have ever seen