Comedian Matt McCarthy may be most familiar to viewers as the cable guy from Verizon’s FiOS ads, but his funnyman antics have landed him everywhere from TV specials to movie appearances to a guest spot on the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In our exclusive video Interactive Interview, he talks about being compared to John Belushi, working with Will Ferrell in The Other Guys, and why he wants to be your new CFF (coaxial friend forever).
Comedian Michael Showalter has done it all. He’s been a member of one of the most-loved comedy troupes of all time (The State); written, directed, and starred in movies like Wet Hot American Summer and The Baxter; released a hilarious album — and now he’s written a book too.
In our exclusive Interactive Interview — where you ask the questions — he talks about his literary inspirations, the possibility of sequels and reunions for some of his projects, and the bizarre rumor that he has a rivalry with fellow comedy sensation Eugene Mirman. Plus, he tells us his real name.
New York-based comedian, musician, and performance artist Reggie Watts is one of the most out-there, engaging, and hilarious personalities you’re likely to come across, on-stage or off. He was hand-picked to open up for Conan O’Brien on his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour”; he has released five albums with his band Maktub, as well as solo albums including last year’s Why S#!+ So Crazy?
In the second weekly installment of our all-new Interactive Interview Series powered by VYou.com, Reggie offers a window into his psyche by dissecting his name, commenting on Zach Galifianakis and the Mayan prophecy of 2012, and even making an impromptu theme song.
Welcome to the inaugural installment of the Flavorpill Interactive Interview Series powered by VYou.com! We’re doing something completely new here by putting you in the interviewer’s chair. Each week, we’ll be bringing you a video interview with a different media personality, giving you the opportunity to select which questions you see the answers to, and in what order.
We’re kicking off the series with Flavorpill favorite Eugene Mirman, the comedian and performer known for his hilarious standup, regular New York comedy events, three sidesplitting albums, a fake advice book, and roles on Flight of the Conchords and Delocated. Mirman’s latest project is voicing the character of Gene on Fox’s new animated series Bob’s Burgers, which he reveals more about after the jump.
He’s been called (by us, even) “the black Mitch Hedberg,” but Brooklyn-via-Chicago comic Hannibal Buress is standing on his own with his first comedy album.
Hannibal (yes, that’s his real name) finds the absurd in the everyday on My Name Is Hannibal, from flaming cocktails and metal arms to fire SUVs and pickle juice. It’s his laid-back delivery that garners comparisons to Hedberg — but Buress’ stand-up is consistently edgier and far more constructed. The SNL writer has performed with everyone from Aziz Ansari to The Daily Show‘s John Oliver, and New Yorkers can see him weekly at his comedy revue at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn.
Everything Is Terrible is a website dedicated to bringing the world wonderful things. What started as a group of friends in Ohio compiling, editing, and manipulating obscure VHS tapes from the ’80s and ’90s into short video clips to get their LOLs off, has grown into an internet success story. Now the group considers themselves archivists of sorts.
“We see ourselves as filling a niche by preserving a type of media that is ignored, and even looked down upon, by other film/video archivists,” wrote Future Schlock, a member of Everything Is Terrible, in an email. “The VHS boom of the late ’80s-early 90s resulted in any old yahoo with a camera being able to release their message to the world — a moment similar to the rise of YouTube. But with a lot more neon.”
Pop-culture icon Joan Rivers goes under the microscope in Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s revealing new documentary exploring the secrets of her decades-long success.
Balancing public appearances with intimate moments, the film uncovers its legendary subject’s daily life as she good-naturedly mocks her infamous reputation for self-renewal. Shot over the course of a year, A Piece of Work slowly uncovers the funny woman’s own driving force, rooted in a quest to triumph in an industry that too often values youth and beauty over hard-earned success.
Russell Brand is your new favorite fake rock star. Although based on his performance at LA’s Roxy nightclub last week promoting his new Judd Apatow film, Get Him to the Greek, it’s not all that much of an act. More like a dream come true, one he’s finally letting himself believe. Watching the 35-year-old comic make the transition from self-deprecating admiration for “the real rock stars who made it easy for me to act like one,” to possibly pretending not to recall the words to his own songs, to finally casting aside his lyric sheets and embracing the persona with gusto — in the space of just a few songs — was like watching a butterfly hatch from a cocoon right on the Roxy stage. Granted, a wild-haired, potty-mouthed, scalawag of a gorgeous-looking indie shock comic butterfly, but still.
Part fashion bible and part throwdown on all things obnoxiously hip, Gavin McInnes’ Street Boners satirizes the street-style photography phenomenon.
The former Vice main man rates each of his subjects on their modes of dress — from “rich hippie things to pocahipsters to the nerdy slut” — with a kitten-based rating system. Packed with over 1,200 snapshots and contributions from downtown culture icons including Debbie Harry and Chloë Sevigny, the book also features city travel guides and a timeline of “The History of Cool” from beatniks to ravers.
Aiming for a generation too young to liberally quote Office Space, Drones is an ensemble comedy directed by Amber Benson (Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for real) and Adam Busch. Jokiness about faxing, copying, and intra-office relationships aside, the trailer also hints at a revelatory event that changes everything. (Zombies, we can only hope.) We’re not entirely convinced of the overwhelming hilarity of Drones, but it does have some Freaks & Geeks nostalgia in its favor with appearances by Neil and the hippie guidance counselor. Click through to peep the trailer and let us know what you think: yay or nay?
“ There is a great street in Dublin that has a bunch of Irish writers immortalized in graffiti; I... ” posted on Bookish Brands: 25 Pieces of Awesome Literary Street Art on
“ Well done! But you're missing John Kennedy Toole's unbeatable "Conspiracy of Dunces"! ” posted on An Essential Postmodern Reading List on
“ She's cute ~ but very irritating. ” posted on Of Course There Are Jazz Hands in Zooey Deschanel's 'SNL' Promos on
“ As much as I enjoyed this, remember that most of it is just a knockoff from 50s midcentury... ” posted on An A-Z Guide to '70s Decor on
“ Beautiful, unusual and worth seeing! Thanks! ” posted on The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World on
