Ian Thompson: “Here’s the video. I want to ask if people think this video is appropriate or is it bordering on the line of being homophobic?”
A Hillary Christmas
I chose this piece because one, I personally found it entertaining, and two, it is an interesting take on Hillary. SNL has been anything but kind to her, but in this particular case, I just found it rather effective, if not just because it points out some of the inconsistencies that happen when you’re in two different elections. It also references many of the events of the election well in my opinion. What do you think? Was it funny, or was it too on the nose and overdone?
NBC … or what?
At first glance, this parody site looks like it really might be NBC. And its story about South Park’s “Yelp” episode ended up getting some play on social media. To all of this, I say huh.
Flip Wilson Brings You The News
I wanted to include an older clip to help show that news parody isn’t an inherently new thing in our culture. Here is George Carlin and Flip Wilson performing as a number of news-related characters. Do you feel that news parody has changed much? Is this old routine still funny in your eyes?
Chris Christie disappears!
This is Deidre posting on behalf of a student host scheduling fail (mine).
The New Yorker magazine frequently features a short parody news piece. It’s often brainiac comedy but you might catch something by, say, Steve Martin that’s insightful and hilarious. This recent piece by Andy Borowitz begins with the lead:
“No one in the United States has taken note of the total disappearance of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who vanished from view several weeks ago.”
What parts are funny? What isn’t? What do you need to know about Christie for this to work?
If the above link doesn’t work, here’s the URL.
The Problem With Frats
I usually don’t watch parody, so finding one for this week was hard for me. I found one, and I didn’t lay down and laugh out loud from it either, but this is a type of humor I really like. It’s kind of tragic and funny at the same time, and it educates us.
What do you think about this type of humor?
Flight of the Conchords – Feel Inside (and stuff like that)
An oldie but a goodie, I think. It’s pretty long. There’s a shorter version that just has the song, but I felt like the context was important. For those who don’t know, Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand based comedy band that had an HBO sitcom for two seasons, and they were asked to apply their brand of self-aware humor to a charity song. How does this work as a parody? Would you consider it a parody even? I think that there are some satirical elements that come from the self-aware writing, but it’s role is still to be used as a genuine charity song. I dunno. What do you guys think?
