tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79672275542862652532024-03-13T13:01:48.357-05:00Wisecrack: Feminism and ComedyAll things gender, feminism, humor, social justice, kittens on treadmills...Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-65205355200858089412015-06-08T10:22:00.003-05:002015-06-08T10:22:50.288-05:00How Hannah Ballou is Offsetting the Patriarchal Footprint of Her Wedding...A quick McSweeney's hit from the delightful <a href="http://www.hannahballou.com/" target="_blank">Hannah Ballou</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/measures-were-taking-to-offset-the-patriarchal-footprint-of-our-wedding" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">List: Measures We’re Taking to Offset the Patriarchal Footprint of Our Wedding.</a>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-76143519618630288522014-12-07T20:09:00.003-06:002014-12-07T20:09:47.095-06:00The Passing of Stella Young, Australian Comedian, Writer and Disabilities Activist Very sad to learn of the passing of <a href="http://stellayoung.com/" target="_blank">Stella Young</a>, who was a comedian, writer and disabilities activist. She was 32 years old.<br />
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In her honor, here are a few of her smart, insightful clips. First, a stand-up bit from 2010 which includes a story about her discovering and then entering a competition where the award was a party of little people:<br />
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And here's a more recent clip of Young giving a TedTalk on "inspiration porn" or the ways images of disabled people, often doing everyday activities, are supposed to remind people how "lucky" they are, with a few choice quotes below:<br />
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"I use the word porn very deliberately because they objectify one group of people for the benefit of another group of people. So in this case we're objectifying disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled people. The purpose of these images is to inspire you, motivate you so you can look at them and think, no matter how bad my life is, it could be worse: I could be that person. </blockquote>
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But what if you are that person? I've lost count of the number of times that I've been approached by strangers wanting to tell me how brave I am... they were just kind of congratulating me for getting up in the morning and remembering my own name...</blockquote>
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...I use the term disabled people quite deliberately because I subscribe to what's called the social model of disability, which tells us we are more disabled by the societies that we live in than by our bodies and our diagnoses."</blockquote>
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Stella Young's performance was sharp, witty, direct and connected with audiences in a way that made them smarter and more aware of the ways they may have been contributing to a world that discriminates against people with disabilities... while making them laugh. She will be missed and her impact will live on.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-8904399890084436662014-04-22T16:09:00.002-05:002014-04-22T16:16:52.787-05:00About Those Dove Commercials...A spot-on take on the whole Dove marketing viral video genre:<br />
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"So where's our peace prize or whatever?"Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-30189667687448854092014-04-16T16:12:00.003-05:002014-04-16T16:12:59.933-05:00"The Maya Rudolph Show" airs May 19 on NBC!And as if it couldn't get any better... Janelle Monáe will be performing. It's a pilot... but really, does anyone have any doubts that this is going to be awesome?<br />
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The news follows a week of people, upon the news of Colbert replacing Letterman, once again writing about how all these evening comedy shows star men. Chelsea Hander's been getting a lot of attention, too, with folks speculating that she'll be replacing Craig Ferguson. But Maya Rudolph? Hadn't heard that rumor. What a delightful surprise.<br />
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H/T <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/04/the_maya_randolph_show_will_debut_on_nbc_next_month.html">Colorlines</a>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-75033769532721281452014-04-11T10:07:00.004-05:002014-04-11T14:10:10.979-05:00Let's Talk About How Delightful Nadia Kamil Is. While doing my daily round of feminist websites, <a href="http://jezebel.com/watch-a-woman-rap-about-the-importance-of-getting-a-pap-1562048410">Jezebel</a> did me a solid by posting an article linking to Nadia Kamil. Where to start?? Okay first, check out her amazing feminist burlesque piece:<br />
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And here's her new music video, a rap on pap smears:<br />
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Enjoy more of Nadia's work <a href="http://www.nadiakamil.co.uk/">on her site.</a>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-1292431489708860432014-03-31T14:14:00.002-05:002014-03-31T14:15:56.038-05:00Quick Q&A with Linda Mizejewski, Author of Pretty/Funny <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Professor Linda Mizejewski from Ohio State University has penned the latest book, Pretty/Funny, on feminism and comedy. She graciously took the time to answer a few questions for your reading delight: </div>
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<i>What inspired you to write Pretty/Funny?</i></div>
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Comedy has become THE place where feminism is alive and well in pop culture! But very little has been written about this. Because it's "only comedy," there's a reluctance to talk about the real-life effects it has. Laughter is a bonding device--that's why racist, sexist, homophobic jokes are so dangerous. But if people are laughing together AGAINST racism, sexism, homophobia--that's a powerful thing. </div>
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<i>How do you think conversations on women in comedy have changed or evolved since the infamous Hitchens article?</i></div>
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Hitchens knew very well that things had already changed by the time he wrote that article. But I think a clue is the huge success of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler--arguably, among the most famous feminists today!--at the Golden Globes two years in a row. That's a prime spot for our very top comedians. Giving that spot to two feminists is quite a coup.</div>
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<i>Do you think what the mainstream considers "acceptable" narratives of female comedians is changing? If so, how?</i></div>
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"Girls" on HBO is a measure of that change, as is the success of Kathy Griffin, who openly claims she has nothing to say to straight men. She's willing to blow off the very part of the audience that's traditionally been considered most important. I'd use those two examples to argue that we now have a space for different comic narratives for women--certainly way different than the standard romantic comedy, which is where we thought of funny women in the past.</div>
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<i>You've probably heard that the BBC recently banned all male comedy panels on their shows. Why is diverse representation important in comedy?</i></div>
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Minorities have always used humor as a source of self-empowerment. It's the reason some scholars say modern American comedy is based on Jewish and then African-American comedians post-1945. Comedy is a place where you can talk back, speak up, make yourself heard--and make it entertaining enough for people to want to tune in.</div>
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<i>Have you come across any lesser-known comedians in your work that you think are doing exciting work whom our readers might like to check out?</i></div>
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I hope everyone knows about The MisAdventures of Awkward Black Girl on the internet! And it's hard to say who's well-known these days, but Janeane Garofolo has been doing amazing feminist work for years and years, and she doesn't get the attention she deserves. I also hope Tig Notaro as become well-known following that stunning monologue on breast cancer that's available on the Louis CK website.</div>
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<i>As a professor, how do your students respond to conversations on feminism and comedy?</i></div>
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They love it! My next project is an anthology on this topic for college students because it's a prime topic for classes in pop culture, women's studies, American Studies, media studies, etc.</div>
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<i>I know our many of our readers can't wait to read Pretty/Funny. Any plans for a paperback release? </i></div>
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The press has said they'll go to paperback if they see a lot of interest and response, so I'm hoping that happens soon.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Funny-Women-Comedians-Politics/dp/0292756917">Pretty/Funny on Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Related: Here's a link to her essay, </span><a href="http://www.genders.org/g46/g46_mizejewski.html" style="font-family: inherit;">"Queen Latifah, Unruly Women, and the Bodies of Romantic Comedy."</a></div>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-67545224523775798352014-02-26T08:56:00.001-06:002014-02-26T10:45:47.790-06:00Smokebreak: A Sexual Comedy on Porn Stars, Being Underemployed and the Human Experience (Guest Post by Madison Walsh)<br />
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Canada is known for many great things: Maple syrup. Michael Cera. Joni Mitchell. Ellen Page. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Peanut butter. This list goes on and on. And today, it just got one web series longer. </div>
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Toronto-based and women-run FOUND Productions is releasing <a href="http://www.laidoffpornstars.com/">Smokebreak</a>, a new web comedy about.... drumroll... just kidding you already read the headline. It's a comedy about porn actresses. And lucky for us, the whole "what happens in Vegas" rule doesn't technically apply to Canadians, because writer, actress and FOUND Productions member Madison Walsh tells us how this came to be:</div>
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<i>Porn is bad. Porn will steal your boyfriend. It will misrepresent your orgasms. It will forever give you an unrealistic and unhealthy idea of how quickly a plumber will come to your house. That is why we women do not watch porn.</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>Fuck that. I watch porn. So do my girlfriends. In fact one third of porn consumers are estimated to be women. You may not have a subscription or attend the fan expos but you can admit it, your secret is safe: you've watched porn. Haven't you?</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>The four of us women who make up our little indie-company-that-could decided to come out about watching porn. In fact we decided to to make a web series about it. We saw an industry controlled by men that runs on women and we saw a lack of female representation on the matter (bleached buttholes and baby-voice web cam shows aside). Who are the women behind the fantasy? How are they struggling with the industry decline (the more free internet porn the less money to pay talent)? Why are they queens on your laptop and pariahs in every other respect? Any woman can do porn but only certain women do. We want to know why.</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>During a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas, my aforementioned compadres and I were thrown down the rabbit hole and so began our obsession with porn - more specifically the realities of it. One lucky night at a burning hot craps table we met a recently retired porn star and her porn producer boyfriend. We hit it off immediately. Craps led to dinner and fascinating tales about their lives in and out of the industry. All this led to the mecca: a rare invitation to visit a real live porn shoot. Uh, yes please. Nerves were shaken, notes were taken and fantasy overturned. We left that surreal experience with the knowledge that we had to write a show about this. It was far too funny not to.</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>And so our characters were born. Porn stars Courtney Luvs Coxx, Sylvia Plowed, Brandy-Lynne Ridez, and “civilian” Abi Patel. We wanted to explore all types of women who get into porn; addicts, artists, and entrepreneurs to name a few. Our Abbi represents a common female POV on porn. Now don’t get us wrong - this is a comedy - there’s no doubt we took plenty of liberties with with these girls and we definitely weren’t writing a “porn star with a heart of gold” show. We wrote women we knew - who just happened to get paid to screw for the camera. Fun, right?</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>As actors and writers we wanted an “in” to these women. Though we all watch porn and can now say we’ve seen full-on paid for penetration up close and personal; porn stars we are not. So we made them unemployed. We “laid them off” (har har har). I am a twenty-something woman who struggles day to day to find the next opportunity to get on camera and get PAID. I’m also a woman in a man’s world. See what I’m getting at? You may not relate to someone who fucks on film but I’m sure most of you out there can relate to being marginalized, discriminated against, or just plain down on your luck.</i> </blockquote>
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<i></i><i>Smokebreak is a sexual comedy - on our terms. Who says women's content has to be serious? We love the fact that there are women out there leading countries or spreading aid and compassion to the needy. We also know that some women out there are mean, dumb assholes - we love that too. We four women are comfortable enough to admit there is a complete spectrum and we want to show its complexities. We’re proud of the fact that, at the crux of it all, we are human beings. All of us. Porn stars or otherwise.</i></blockquote>
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<i>(Madison Walsh is an actress, writer and content creator based out of Toronto Canada. FOUND Productions consists of Madison, Supinder Wraitch, Sam Coyle and Bryn McAuley; all Toronto natives. Check out <a href="http://www.laidoffpornstars.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.laidoffpornstars.com</a> for more content and info.)</i></div>
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-73528860565179155682014-02-18T15:29:00.000-06:002014-02-18T15:29:04.517-06:00Book Alert! Funny/Pretty: Women Comedians and Body PoliticsAwesome- a new comedy & feminism book is on its way to publication. Written by Ohio State University's Linda Mizejewski, it's due to come out in March of this year.<br />
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From the <a href="http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/mizpre">website for the book</a>:<br />
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Focusing on star writer/performer comedians—Kathy Griffin, Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho, Wanda Sykes, and Ellen DeGeneres—Pretty/Funny demonstrates that women’s comedy has become a prime site of feminism in the twenty-first century.</blockquote>
Looking forward to it's release... Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-64030743317368407962014-02-06T14:07:00.001-06:002014-02-06T14:09:16.489-06:00Hari Kondabolu on the year 2042...<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/85fr6nbiMT4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The awesome Hari Kondabolu on race and the projected year whites will become 49% of the US population. Enjoy!
h/t FeministingCaitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-53052612201758675122014-01-10T07:34:00.000-06:002014-01-10T07:34:00.543-06:00Hillary Rea on Being a Girl in the Stand-Up Boys' Club<center style="text-align: left;">
True story: Back on Black Friday I had the good fortune of meeting <a href="http://hillaryrea.com/">Hillary Rea</a> on a street corner in Miami Beach. We were both on our way to the same conference (coincidentally run by Jen Dzuira, who was featured a few years ago on Wisecrack) and were able to pick each other out on the street as... probably not belonging in Miami Beach. </center>
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Hillary is an award-winning storyteller and comedian from Philadelphia. Fun fact: She also runs a show called Tell Me a Story, and you can see where she'll be appearing <a href="http://hillaryrea.com/shows/">here</a>. Below, she tells a true story of standing up to a fellow comedian... </center>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-22088393194146617362014-01-08T17:44:00.003-06:002014-01-08T17:44:18.166-06:00Congrats to Jane Wagner and Lily Tomlin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Comedy writer Jane Wagner and comedian Lily Tomlin have gotten married after 42 years together!<br />
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I saw Tomlin's one woman show in Minneapolis a few years ago. I'm pretty sure Wagner still does a lot of her writing. It was amazing. In college, I had an email signature from Search for Signs of Intelligent Life, but I didn't know whether to quote the more famous Tomlin, who delivered the line or Wagner who wrote it:<br />
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"I refuse to be intimidated by reality any longer."~Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner</div>
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-24352107954941883142014-01-07T14:15:00.000-06:002014-01-09T10:17:01.693-06:00SNL Responds to Criticism, Hires Sasheer Zamata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Meet Saturday Night Live's newest actress <a href="http://sasheer.com/">Sasheer Zamata</a>. Sorry to write the headline that way. I'd much prefer that they just happened to hire Zamata, rather than that it took months of SNL shaming to finally convince SNL to hire at least one female comedian of color. Anyhow, she seems pretty dang charming. You might recognize her from an MTV show called Hey Girl, if you still watch MTV. (Who does that?) She was also on Totally Biased, and if you poke around her website, there's lot of videos to peruse.<br />
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You can hear Zamata chatting on Julie Klausner's show over <a href="http://howwasyourweek.libsyn.com/sasheer-zamata-ep-147">here,</a> but jump to minute 45 or so if you want to cut to the interview. There's a lot of talk of Beyonce and Kanye. if you want to cut to the talk about her webseries, The Pursuit of Sexiness, as well the lack of black women in comedy and the need for diverse writers go ahead to 1:18:18.<br />
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There were rumored secret-not-really-secret auditions recently in NYC, so this isn't a surprise. But still, it's about damn time and too bad SNL only chose one actress of color to join the cast. I'm fairly sure that this is only the fifth time in SNL history that they've cast a woman of color. (Sidenote, since I no longer watch SNL, it's really harder to care about it as much...)<br />
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Congrats to Sasheer Zamata. Too bad she has to start under so much pressure. Looking forward to catching her sketches on SNL.<br />
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Update: <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/saturday-night-live-adds-two-669180">They've hired two additional writers from the auditions!</a> Congrats to LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-89928718636194458762013-10-04T11:48:00.000-05:002013-10-04T11:48:00.873-05:00Jennifer Hudson's Funny or Die video on the Affordable Care Act... Amy Poehler and the White House were in on making this, too, says CBS.<br />
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<a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/11f45484dd/scandalous-with-jennifer-hudson" title="from Jennifer Hudson, Charles Ingram, Funny Or Die, Joe Craig, Larry Marsee, and rachelgoldenberg">Scandalous with Jennifer Hudson</a> from <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/jennifer_hudson">Jennifer Hudson</a> <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?app_id=138711277798&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funnyordie.com%2Fvideos%2F11f45484dd%2Fscandalous-with-jennifer-hudson&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&height=21" style="border: none; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; width: 90px;"></iframe>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-70948719545335954242013-08-21T16:24:00.001-05:002013-08-21T18:21:10.998-05:00Fake Geek Girls: The ShowHey Nerd-Muffins, check it out:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Writer/director Sara Clarke was inspired to create this show after seeing controversy over the "fake geek girl" phenomenon explode online. As she puts it, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">"I saw a lot of feminist criticisms of geek culture that I thought were very powerful. I wanted to contribute to the discussion, but instead of a blog takedown or a documentary series, I decided to talk about awesome female nerds through comedy. Meanwhile, in the apartment downstairs, my hilarious neighbor Julie-Joy was looking for more material to stretch her wings as a comedic actress. That's how Fake Geek Girls was born."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Pretty awesome, huh? So here's the deal. They've only made this episode and to fund a whole series they're looking to raise a little cash. After you've checked out the show, you should go </span><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/848293162/fake-geek-girls-the-show" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">donate over here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">. I did. You can too. Everybody's doing it. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">What better way to inspire you to chip in or share the Kickstarter campaign than this Double Clicks music video:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/s4Rjy5yW1gQ" width="560"></iframe>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-26870451914558727392013-07-26T16:37:00.000-05:002013-07-26T16:53:16.947-05:00Your Friends You Haven't Met Yet: Pony Ride<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xvNQFI4IsY/UfLpMsRTD2I/AAAAAAAAAb4/276f779ONrA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-26+at+4.23+PM7-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xvNQFI4IsY/UfLpMsRTD2I/AAAAAAAAAb4/276f779ONrA/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-07-26+at+4.23+PM7-26.png" width="238" /></a></div>
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I'd like to introduce you to some friends you haven't met yet: Pony Ride aka Katie Smith, Jessica Spaw, and Alexa Green.<br />
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Let's get to know our new friends:<br />
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So how did you get starting making videos together?<br />
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The three of us all did improv at University of California Irvine (on the team Live Nude People *With Clothes On) together but parted ways once we graduated, it wasn't till a year later after moving each separately to LA, that we reunited and realized the best way to pursue comedy was to make our own content. <br />
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Awesome! What does your writing/editing process look like?<br />
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We have all studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade and feel that has had a major influence on our writing. Sometimes we write individually, sometimes together, and other times we have a concept and beats but we improv a majority of the sketch. Improv has taught us to ask ourselves when writing "if this is true what else is..." and that can really take us anywhere, which is a lot of fun.<br />
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Who are your comedy heros?<br />
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We have A LOT of comedy heros since there are three of us the top being: Tina Fey. Amy Pohler, The Mighty Boosh, Ricky Gervias, Carol Bernett, Kristin Wiig, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Zach Galifianakis.<br />
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Find more Pony Ride <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PonyRideComedy"> Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PonyRideComedy">YouTube</a>. Can't wait to see future awesome from Pony Ride!<br />
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(I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that former Wisecrack-mentioned comedian, Lauren Lapkus from The Money Kids is now on the best show ever, Orange is the New Black. I think we can extrapolate this data to mean that Pony Ride will have a Netflix Original Series in approximately two years.) <br />
<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-28075332673266611332013-07-25T09:51:00.003-05:002013-07-25T09:51:47.965-05:00If only this Daria movie were real...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="369" src="http://www.collegehumor.com/e/6904493" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br />
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The sad thing: The target audience of Plaza's new film has never heard of Daria.</div>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-39100192504163919562013-07-17T10:41:00.004-05:002013-07-17T12:05:12.658-05:00Totally Biased Takes on Street Harassment<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WH7b4QCPuXc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Okay- I don't know if this is some kind of karma-retention program after setting up the "Feminist vs Comedians" debate (which really revealed some undeniable cultural misogyny as previously mentioned) but W. Kamau Bell gets major props for this segment.<br />
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Awesome for a few reasons:<br />
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1) So often women fighting street harassment are portrayed as people who take things too seriously. He's setting the segments up so that the women are making/in on the joke and the guys who harass aren't.<br />
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2) It's for <strike>a Comedy Central audience: </strike><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/business/media/comedy-central-survey-says-young-men-see-humor-as-essential.html?_r=0" style="text-decoration: line-through;">Mostly male 18-35 year olds</a> (correction: it's on FX... but the <a href="http://www.cvadsales.com/network_fx.html">same point holds true</a>).<br />
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3) There's a cameo featuring Emily May from <a href="http://www.ihollaback.org/">Hollaback! </a>She's great.<br />
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-27097470963067632372013-06-14T17:46:00.002-05:002013-06-14T17:46:25.057-05:00Patton Oswalt on Joke-Thievery, Heckling and Rape Jokes<div>
May I direct your attention <a href="http://www.pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page=spew&id=167">over here</a> to Patton Oswalt's honest and self-reflective analysis of the rape joke debate. It's pretty long, here are few excerpts:</div>
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...<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">See if any of these sound familiar:</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">There’s no “evidence” of a “rape culture” in this country. I’ve never wanted to rape anyone, so why am I being lumped in as the enemy? If these bloggers and feminists make “rape jokes” taboo, or “rape” as a subject off-limits no matter what the approach, then it’ll just lead to more censorship. </em> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">They sure sound familiar to me because I, at various points, was saying them. Either out loud, or to myself, or to other comedian and non-comedian friends when we would argue about this. I had my viewpoint, and it was based on solid experience, and it…was…fucking…wrong.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Let’s go backwards through those bullshit conclusions, shall we? First off:</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">no one is trying to make rape, as a subject, off-limits</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">No one is talking about censorship</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">. In this past week of re-reading the blogs, going through the comment threads, and re-scrolling the Twitter arguments, I haven’t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">once</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">found a single statement, feminist or otherwise, saying that rape shouldn’t be joked under</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">any</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">circumstance, regardless of context. Not one example of this.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">In fact, every viewpoint I’ve read on this,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">especially</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">from feminists, is simply asking to kick upward, to think twice about who is the target of the punchline, and make sure it isn’t the victim....</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">There is a collective consciousness that can detect the presence (and approach) of something good or bad, in society or the world, before any hard “evidence” exists. It’s happening now with the concept of “rape culture.” Which, by the way, isn’t a concept. It’s a reality. I’m just not the one who’s going to bring it into focus. But I’ve read enough viewpoints, and spoken to enough of my female friends (comedians and non-comedians) to know it isn’t some vaporous hysteria, some false meme or convenient catch-phrase.</span></blockquote>
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Alright, if you're reading this blog, you don't need Patton Oswalt to tell you any of this. But I think it's awesome that he's written it, and I hope it gets widely read.<br />
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On a side note, I wonder if he's friends with Diablo Cody (who wrote Young Adult, and Juno, and that book, Candy Girl, about stripping in Minneapolis). Probs.<br />
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H/T Russ Rogers</div>
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-77098087303263808552013-06-11T12:23:00.000-05:002013-06-11T12:23:06.084-05:00Issa Rae and Amanda De Cadenet on Awkward Black Girl and P.O.C. representations in media<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1RTI65A2U3c" width="560"></iframe>
Issa Rae is awesome.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-30412625953567663402013-06-05T14:41:00.002-05:002013-06-06T14:24:48.120-05:00Badass of the Year: Lindy West<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://lindywest.kinja.com/">Lindy West</a>, you are our hero.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for standing up for the power of comedy to shape our world. </span><br />
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In case you haven't heard, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUb_E1qUHA">Lindy did a rape joke debate with Jim Norton on <i>Totally Biased</i></a>. The crux of this argument is basically the same thing we've been writing about here for years- Lindy says comedy influences culture, a point Jim denies ("as long as you're trying to be funny, you're okay.")<br />
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She did an amazing job. My favorite of Lindy's lines:<br />
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"I'm sure it's super comfortable and nice to believe that there aren't systemic forces affected by speech, but it's not true and those of us who are affected by those forces know that that's not true.... <b>you don't get to say that comedy is the sacred, powerful vital thing that we have to protect because it's speaking truth to power and also be like, '<i>oh it's just a joke, I mean, language doesn't affect our lives at all, so shut up</i>.</b>'"</blockquote>
YES. So much love and appreciation for her. To be fair, this match was fixed. Lindy's straight up smarter than Jim. And she's right.<br />
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And everyone on Twitter thanked her and comedians who make shitty rape jokes realized the error of their ways and apologized! We wish. Actually, enter <a href="http://jezebel.com/if-comedy-has-no-lady-problem-why-am-i-getting-so-many-511214385">hundreds of hateful tweets</a> aimed at Lindy.<br />
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In response to the backlash, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qntiX6_9km4&feature=youtu.be">Jim Norton made a ridiculously wimpy half-hearted suggestion</a> on Opie and Anthony that his fans not write her hateful messages. Actually, he said "you can write whatever you want, but you're not helping the argument" but mostly he just sat around while the hosts of the show mindlessly trash-talked Lindy. Keep it classy, Jim! <i>[Update: A way classier note from Jim was posted and can be found <a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/jim-norton-lindy-west-rape-jokes">here</a>.]</i><br />
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We love her work at Jezebel and look forward to all the awesome things she will no doubt do in the future.<br />
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Thanks, Lindy, for doing what you do.<br />
<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-54249034132478051492013-05-06T23:52:00.001-05:002013-05-06T23:52:14.426-05:00Okay, we're not quite done talking about sexual violence and comedy...<a href="http://globalcomment.com/not-so-funny-sam-morrils-rape-jokes-and-female-comedy-fans/">Sady Doyle wrote to comedian Sam Morril about his jokes about rape/hurting women.</a><div>
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If you've seen much stand-up, you've likely been in her situation before. You go to a show, you're having a grand old time, and then some ass gets onstage and thinks it's funny to make a date-rape joke. I paid $4 for this? Then Sam Morril wrote a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sam.morril/posts/10100191249112069?notif_t=like">response</a> where he says he knows more about comedy than she does, and it's ironic and Sarah Silverman makes rape jokes so he can, too, blah blah blah, and he obviously doesn't get it. He says that because his feminist mom, manager and ex-girlfriend think his rape jokes are funny, it's cool. Sounds a lot like "but my best friend is ________."</div>
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Hey Sam:</div>
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1) Sure, you have the right to make jokes about rape (and the Boston marathon and the n-word.)</div>
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<b>2) You're still responsible for the impact of your comedy on the world. </b></div>
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3) There's a huge difference between a woman joking about being raped and a guy joking about raping. There are rape jokes that make fun of people who think rape is okay, and there are rape jokes that make fun of people who get assaulted. Many guys have proven that a rape joke doesn't have to be "rape=funny." It can also be "people who have sex without consent are assholes." </div>
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4) Look at where your power is aimed. Is it challenging groups in power? Or making fun of groups or the experiences of groups that are already being shat upon? </div>
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I'm totally appreciative of Sady Doyle's article. Yet, the world has no shortage of dudes who make shitty and cheap shock jokes about rape onstage. And some of these guys don't care that half a dozen folks in the audience have been raped. And some just don't realize it or realize how their art is supporting a world where wink-wink rape is hilarious. </div>
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I don't care if comedians aren't onstage to make the world a better place. But it makes me mad when that power is used for supporting things like racism, sexism, ableism, fat phobia, heterosexism and other forms of discrimination and cruelty. You can joke about race, sex, disabilities, fatness, gayness and murder without (whoopsies! it's-ironic-so-it's-cool) accidentally endorsing hatred.</div>
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Recommended reading:</div>
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<a href="http://mowreyjokes.com/post/34591716684/stop-saying-rape-jokes-are-never-funny">"Stop Saying Rape Jokes are Never Funny</a>" by comedian Sarah Mowrey</div>
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<a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/168856/anatomy-successful-rape-joke">Anatomy of a Successful Rape Joke</a> by Jessica Valenti</div>
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<a href="http://www.guante.info/2012/07/3-points-about-rape-jokes-that-people.html">3 Points about Rape Jokes that People Seem to be Ignoring</a> by Guante</div>
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Ugh.What a drag, right? This is why Wisecrack prefers to highlight amazing comedians who are making awesome shit. For instance, Issa Rae's <a href="http://www.awkwardblackgirl.com/">Awkward Black Girl </a>series. If you're not already familiar, go check it out. </div>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-27201068367575577372013-02-18T13:03:00.000-06:002013-02-18T13:05:32.756-06:00On Making a Rape PSA<i>A Guest Post by Annie Laferriere</i><br />
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When I find myself annoyed with or upset with something, my general reaction is to throw jokes at it. Not
being the most aggressive of people, I find it a cathartic way to state
my opinion. The babble going on a few months before the election,
spurred by the <span class="il">rape</span> comments made by Todd Akin and Richard
Murdoch made me laugh a lot. Then I got annoyed that such stupid statements were getting so much air time. Then I laughed a
little more. And then I texted ten of my comedienne/actress girlfriends
and said, "Hey I have a really funny idea for a sketch about <span class="il">rape</span>. Do
you want in?" Luckily almost all of them trust my comedic sensibilities and two days later we had our
cast of five beautiful funny chicks.</div>
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<span class="il">Rape</span> is such a sensitive topic and I worried about
offending people. Not really just any people. But survivors. That
thought horrified me, and we tried to approach it in such a way
that wouldn't be offensive but would make people laugh,<span style="background-color: white;"> but also think about sexual violence and the reality that we live in a world where <span class="il">rape</span> is way too common</span>. <br />
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The <span class="il">PSA</span> was scripted, but a lot of improv ended up in the final cut.
I'm so happy with the way it turned out. I'm proud of what it says. <span style="border-collapse: separate;">I hope people enjoy the satire but understand the statement. </span><br />
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<i>Annie is an LA-based stand up and improv comedienne. See more of her stuff at <a href="http://3rdwheelcomedy.com/" target="_blank">http://3rdwheelcomedy.com/</a>. </i>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-52949450514545441762013-01-27T22:44:00.003-06:002013-01-27T23:08:36.436-06:00Sitting on Babies: Sitting Down with Becky WhittemoreWhen comedians Becky Whittemore and Brooke Jacob teamed up to make <a href="http://sittingonbabiesshow.wordpress.com/">Sitting On Babies</a>, they focused on two topics that they had first hand experience of: providing childcare in New York City and being featured on reality television. In fact, Becky's reality tv story is so amazing that an episode of Spike TV's show "Ink Master" was named after her experience. I want to share this story, as told to me by the incredibly endearing Becky, and then we'll get to the webseries (pinky swear).<br />
<br />
So a friend of Becky's asks if she wants to get a free tattoo for this tattoo competition show, Ink Master. Since Becky has been thinking about tattoos anyways, plus this is a FREE tattoo from a real professional (I mean, the show is called Ink Master), it seems like a no-brainer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1TEnqk_aeQg/UQX2KFjA1pI/AAAAAAAAAUc/GiTJzG-AwtM/s1600/5367335975_511568943b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1TEnqk_aeQg/UQX2KFjA1pI/AAAAAAAAAUc/GiTJzG-AwtM/s320/5367335975_511568943b_z.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky Whittemore</td></tr>
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Fast-forward to the show's taping. Becky is asked to choose between three styles: Tribal, american traditional or pin-up. She goes pin-up. There's a speed element, so Becky doesn't have much time to hem and haw over what she wants with the tattoo artist. Being from Georgia, she goes with a pretty lady sitting next to a big peach. The artist draws up a sketch, and Becky asks for fuller hair on the tattoo. And one more thing- can she be barefoot instead of wearing heels?<br />
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The tattoo comes along quickly and somethings looks a little off to Becky, but heck, it's a free tattoo! A week later, Becky realizes why it looks so funny. Can you see it?<br />
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You're right, the peach looks a little (a lot) like a butt (err, sorry Becky!) but that's not it. Okay, try now:<br />
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That's right. A week after getting her tattoo she realizes that <span style="font-size: small;"><b>her pin-up has two right feet</b>. </span>The title of the episode featuring Becky's tattoo? "Permanent Mistakes".<br />
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"When you're on the set you realize how completely fake all these shows are. The scenes are edited together out of order, and they might have you answer questions on air and then splice it with other footage to make it seem like you're talking to the host. We wanted our series to show that absurdity," Says Becky.<br />
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Okay- that was a tangential but fun way of getting to the show, Sitting on Babies:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2qCQ73NSo1w" width="560"></iframe>
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For those of you who are unable to just watch the above clip (maybe you're at work, it's cool, no judgement) this is a show about two New York City nannies, in a style that perfectly mimics the worst of all those damn TLC shows that we love to hate (props to director Tim Young and the rest of their talented crew). <br />
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"I'm a comedian but Brooke is a for-real legit actress. We met at an Upright Citizens
Brigade improv class and knew we wanted to work together," says Becky.
"We decided to make the show loosely based on our lives. We write about
real life stories but not entirely directly, since we don't want to
freak anyone out and we still need to get paid."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooke Jacob</td></tr>
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On comedy site Funny or Die their three episodes have collectively been viewed about 25,000 times so far, which is pretty damn impressive (and that doesn't even include people like you who may have just watched it on YouTube).<br />
You can subscribe to their YouTube channel for new episodes. <br />
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Becky was ridiculously nice and it's cool to see how she and Brooke have turned an idea into such a well-made show. You can't help but root for them as they keep making awesome happen. <br />
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-79355727932129611172012-10-31T17:52:00.000-05:002012-11-01T12:19:30.026-05:00Lindy West on Being Fat and Dealing With Online TrollsVia <a href="http://www.upworthy.com/theres-only-one-thing-to-do-when-the-internet-calls-you-fat?c=fea">Upworthy</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://lindywest.net/">Lindy West</a> takes to the stage to talk about being fat and dealing with ridiculous trolling on the live storytelling series Back Fence PDX in Portland:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50006487?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="400"></iframe><br />
Heartbreaking, love it, want to be her friend.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967227554286265253.post-82045200369544723882012-10-30T10:49:00.000-05:002012-10-30T10:49:58.171-05:00Erin Judge on Being Raised by Gay ParentsComedian and writer <a href="http://www.erinjudge.com/">Erin Judge</a> <a href="http://wisecrackzine.blogspot.com/2009/06/comedy-equals-puberty-plus-time.html">(see her guest post here)</a> has made this succinct and powerful video about growing up as the daughter of two moms.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GLujbQLjGFw" width="560"></iframe><br />
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516262549434303774noreply@blogger.com0