Flavorwire » Comedy

Watch ‘The Artist’s’ Jean Dujardin Audition to Be the Villain in Every American Movie

Judy Berman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:46 +0000

Now that The Artist has made its star, Jean Dujardin, a household name in the United States, where can we expect to see him next? Perhaps, like such other European crossover stars as Christoph Waltz and Javier Bardem, he’ll play a villain in a big, American action movie. In a hilarious and — because it does star Dujardin, after all — charming new video, Funny or Die imagines what that audition process might look like. See 2012′s biggest silent-film idol point a gun at James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and even the Bridesmaids ladies, after the jump. And then, just try to stop yourself from daydreaming about where we’ll really see him next.

[via The Wrap]

Video of the Day: Lana Del Rey’s “Hunger Games”

Judy Berman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:00:16 +0000

Believe it or not, we are trying our hardest here at Flavorpill HQ to stop feeding the Lana Del Rey fire. But we can’t just ignore this brilliant Suzanne Collins/LDR mash-up from Holly Laurent of Second City. In Lana Del Rey’s “Hunger Games,” Laurent replaces the lovelorn words to “Video Games” with verses on Katniss and company, giving us such brilliant couplets as, “Heard you haven’t finished book three/ Honey, when you do…” The visual element, which replaces Del Rey’s pastiche with overexposed shots of retro-futurist landscapes, stinky fish, and early footage from The Hunger Games movie, is also spot on. We especially like that Laurent’s mini-bouffant reminds us more of Snooki than Lana.

[via Jezebel]

Paul Brittain Is Leaving ‘Saturday Night Live’

Caroline Stanley — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:29:57 +0000

Inside TV is exclusively reporting that Saturday Night Live star Paul Brittain, who joined the cast back in September 2010 with Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer, and Jay Pharoah, is leaving the show effective immediately; according to a source close to the actor, he “had the opportunity to pursue other projects,” and the split was totally amicable.

Given how well life has been treating recently-banished cast members like Casey Wilson (who went on to star in ABC’s Happy Endings) and Jenny Slate (who gave birth to Marcel the Shell), we’re looking forward to seeing what Brittain’s got up his sleeve. Perhaps it’s time to put that spot-on Draco Malfoy impression to good use? It was pretty perfect. We could also see picture him finding success in an off-off-Broadway musical about Ron Paul. Or Lord Windemere. Either, really. Are you at all surprised by this news? [via Vulture]

Watch Ron Swanson and Tammy II Sing About Creationism and Dragons

Judy Berman — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:08 +0000

The opportunity to watch Nick Offerman — that is, Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson — get dressed up like Toby Keith and sing a vaguely jingoistic country song is just about all we could ask for on a Friday morning. So the fact that we get all that in a duet with Offerman’s funny (real-life and TV) wife, Megan Mullally, that also happens to be about paleontology, creationism, and dragons? Yeah, we’re pretty much in heaven. If you ever wanted to see Ron Swanson in a pale yellow, or hear Tammy II sing, “Darwin was a douche,” then consider your day made. Thanks, College Humor!

Aubrey Plaza Wants You to Support the Improv Everywhere Doc

Caroline Stanley — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:30:27 +0000

Like most people who have experienced one of Improv Everywhere’s crazy “missions,” whether firsthand or through a viral video, we’re huge fans of the New York City-based prank collective; that’s why we’re excited to hear that they’re working on a feature-length documentary that will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the group founded by Charlie Todd back in 2002. Which is where you come in: They’re currently trying to raise $125K on Kickstarter in order to help fund the film’s post-production and distribution. There are various exciting prizes to incentivize you to give, but for a contribution of $5,000, you’ll get to participate in one of their upcoming projects as a featured agent. Need a little more convincing? Check out this teaser clip featuring appearances by Aubrey Plaza, Ben Folds, Nick Kroll, and Mad Men’s Rich Sommer after the jump.

[via AV Club]

Watch Ryan Gosling in a Very Special ‘Drunk History Christmas’

Caroline Stanley — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:32:21 +0000

For those of you have been anxiously awaiting its arrival on Funny or Die since last week’s preview, it’s finally here: a very special Drunk History Christmas, which features appearances by Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Jim Carrey, who does a surprisingly convincing Santa Claus (especially if you’re old enough to remember this). Considering that we had to memorize “The Night Before Christmas” in its entirety back in elementary school, we can totally empathize with comedian Allan McLeod’s valiant struggle with certain lines — especially when it comes to the nearly impossible task of naming all of the reindeer. If you prefer your classic poems delivered with more than a hint of slurring, and the creative addition of a few swear words, click through to get in the holiday spirit now.

Drunk History Christmas with Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey and Eva Mendes from Ryan Gosling

The Most Interesting Tidbits from Louis CK’s Reddit Interview

Caroline Stanley — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:00:47 +0000

Everyone’s favorite comedian Louis CK dropped by Reddit today to answer some reader questions, and revealed a bunch of really personal stuff, from his favorite bit (“I really liked the duck vaginas joke”) to his least favorite memory (“Probably pissing my pants at school, everyone pointing at the giant stain in the front of my pants and laughing”). If you don’t have the time to tackle the entire thread now, click through for a selection of our favorite highlights.

On how he got so much creative control over Louie:

“I got it by demanding it and refusing to do the show any other way at all and by having the leverage that I was completely willing to walk away without doing the show and by agreeing to an extremely low budget so that they could offset the risk of giving me this freedom because they are risking less money.

“I have had conversations with them about very few moments in the show but zero battles.”

Some thoughts on his new $5 comedy special:

“I’m not going to say yet what it’s making. It’s so damn interesting though to be doing this. I feel like I have a front seat to a really cool… thing. I don’t even know what it is. I think it’s really interesting that i brought the price so close to stealing and made the movie so easy to get and made it so clear that it’s a human offering it that it sparked a debate about pirating.

“To steal from someone and not feel bad, you either have to be a sociopath or view the act differently. One way is to remove ‘Someone’ from the equation. You’re not stealing from a person. Big companies do a lot to help people view them as less than human. I heard a speech by Noam Chomsky who said that corporations are like super humans. They cannot be hurt like a human can and they never die. They are not susceptible to scrutiny or accountability. this makes them more profitable. If companies want to enjoy these benefits to some degree they have to live with what else comes with being not human. you miss out on compassion, forgiveness, camaraderie, empathy, trust all kinds of shit.

“The other thing is I can only do this because I’m an individual and I can decide what my risks are that are acceptable and i can make my own goals for what is success. So I forwent (is that a word?) a lot of conventional routes and tried this. I am risking and there may be a ceiling to the success, but for me it’s okay. I feel like as of this year, I make enough money as a standup my goal now is to bring the cost down for those who buy my stuff. I really mean that. It makes me much happier. Also I did see that there might be a tremendous upswing to this. I was really excited about this material and I though it would be really cool to just put it out there myself with a little electronic hat that only takes fives and just see what happens.”

His daughters’ reaction to appearing in his act:

“I spend a lot of time with my kids and I raise them for half their lives and I love them very much. I am a pretty patient dad. They have seen a few family friendly bits and they laughed like hell because they know I’m not like that. They get the humor in heightened anger over little things.

“If I was a distant or awful dad, then my act would be their nightmare.”

What he’d be doing professionally if he wasn’t doing comedy:

“The last jobs I had were fixing cars and covering football games for a local access TV station. As in driving the mobile van to the field, setting up three cameras, teaching depressed grownups and interns how to use them, and directing the game from the van and then wanting to kill myself.”

His religious beliefs (or lack thereof):

“I’m not an atheist. I think god is there and that he is watching and he made us. I just don’t give a shit.”

“I thought about what if I make another special like this one and I put it up for 5 bucks again and it goes gangbusters. It makes, say, 8 million bucks. I don’t know that that is even possible. I’m trying to find out what the potential is with this one.”

On his future film plans:

“I would love yo make more movies. That is a FUCKING HARD JOB though, dude. Just to get it made. You can’t even do anything else while you’re trying to get it made and then you probably won’t. It’s heartbreaking. Then it takes a good two years to make and finish the movie then it maybe won’t come out and then maybe it gets changed and worse than the movie not getting made, you made it, then it got changed into something you hated and then came out… If I can get a deal to make a movie the way I do my show, I’ll do it. Otherwise… no.”

Aubrey Plaza, Lizzy Caplan Learn to Be Cool in Funny or Die Video

Judy Berman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:00:43 +0000

Aubrey Plaza. Lizzy Caplan. Megan Mullally. Lake Bell. Casey Wilson. Ellie Kemper. Michaela Watkins. No, this isn’t the cast for Hollywood’s next great, Bridesmaids-style, all-lady ensemble comedy (although we sure wouldn’t mind if it were). It’s the list of comedians who star in a new, five-minute Funny or Die video called “Home for Actresses.” The clip features Mullally as the gray-haired, tea-drinking proprietor of the Peggy Dvorak Institute, where actresses learn “how to be cool, how to not gross people out with your hideous, actress-y personality.” Kemper in particular does a wonderful send-up of herself. Watch the hilarious short — where you’ll learn all about why you need to listen to Nina Simone instead of Ke$ha, date guys with drugs problems, and scorn motherhood — after the jump.

[via Aol TV]

10 Hilarious Speeches by Pop Culture Icons

Alison Nastasi — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:00:08 +0000

Last night, Will Ferrell was the 14th funny person to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor award. He follows in the footsteps of giants like George Carlin, Tina Fey, and Steve Martin. Audiences enjoyed a retrospective of his career, as well as tributes from a comedian all-star cast, but it was Ferrell’s acceptance speech that won everyone over with his trademark deadpan style. When the Anchorman actor thanked his wife Viveca Paulin for her support, he of course added, “We have a wonderful life together but I do have to say … sometimes you get a little lippy. You’ve got a big mouth and you like to run it.” Who else brought the funny during speech time? Click through for a look back at ten hilarious speeches.

Steve Carell at the 2006 Golden Globes

Most “wife jokes” are awful, but The Office comedian Steve Carell did it the right way by including his SNL-starring wife in his 2006 Golden Globes acceptance speech for Best Actor in a TV series. The 40-Year-Old Virgin actor read a note “written” by his wife Nancy. Cute and funny.

Watch Sally Draper Play a Child Star Psychologist

Caroline Stanley — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:00:21 +0000

Well, it looks like all of those sessions with Dr. Edna finally paid off — and not just for Betty. The incredibly precocious Kiernan Shipka, aka Mad Men‘s Sally Draper, analyzes an interesting mix of child stars (including Topanga from Boy Meets World) in this hilarious Funny or Die clip. If the last season of the show left you with any doubts about how quickly Shipka is maturing into quite the young actress, watching her expertly navigate this sketch should be all the proof you need.

Child Star Psychologist with Kiernan Shipka from Kiernan Shipka

[via TV Squad]