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Yet another women in comedy rant…

It seems there has been a lot of press recently about women in comedy. Of course, there was the notoriously stupid article by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair last year entitled, “Why Women Aren’t Funny.” I’d link you, but, you know, it’s stupid. He essentially says that women aren’t funny biologically because they don’t need to be funny to attract a mate, they just need to be attractive. Then Vanity Fair tried to make nice a year later by spotlighting women in comedy, with a cover featuring media darlings Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Sarah Silverman and profiles inside on a bunch of other up-and-coming funny ladies. The thesis of that article: “Wait no, women can be funny AND attractive!”

This week, Paolo tipped me off to this article in Time Out Chicago and its ensuing discussion, and Annie tipped me off to this article in Ireland’s Sunday Tribune, and I thought I would weigh in.

I’m a comedian, I’m a feminist, and I have over-thought the issue almost to the point that I don’t know where to begin. I don’t like how the discussion has put a lot of male comics on the defensive, especially because as a white person, I know how hard it can be to see how easy you have it. A lot of well intentioned, perfectly nice male comedians I know have NO IDEA why it is hard for women to be comics or what they can do about it.

For the purposes of discussion, I offer what I think are two of the main reasons why it has taken so long for women to break into comedy, and some possible things we can do about it (all of us! together!), after the jump!

It’s official: Dane Cook is bad for our children

Ahhhh, what a delicious, delightful, delectable piece of news this is! A couple of teenagers in Connecticut pled guilty to a series of crimes inspired by this shitty Dane Cook joke. Maybe they were confused by how unfunny it is. They were probably thinking, “Hey, why aren’t I laughing? Maybe in order to understand this joke I must commit crime.”

Estelle Getty dies at 84

Via the Chronicle and pretty much every other news source, Estelle Getty, the Emmy-award winning actress who played Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls, has died at the age of 84.

Anyone who watched the Golden Girls knows that she was a powerful comedic force. With her go my hopes of a Golden Girls movie. She will be sorely missed.

Bastille Day my ass…

It’s all about the USA!! Last night, for the second year in a row, Miss USA fell down in the Miss Universe pageant. Let’s see you beat that, France.

This year:

Last year:

Sacha Baron Cohen dupes rednecks… again.

You’ve probably heard about this already, but in case you haven’t, here’s more proof positive that British people are smarter than Americans. I always assumed - especially in light of the insane popularity of the Borat movie - that eventually Sacha Baron Cohen would get overexposed here just as he did in Britain and be forced to adapt his approach. Thankfully, Americans are stupider than British people and Cohen once again duped a bunch of rednecks.

Apparently, Cohen & co. put on a cage fighting event in Arkansas for his new Bruno movie, attracting thousands of fans. They thought they were getting a cheap show, with “hot chicks, cold beer, and hardcore fights.” What they got instead was a little gay action. From The Smoking Gun:

Both cards ended with two male grapplers (one was identified as “Straight Dave” and wore camouflage) tearing each other’s clothes off and, while in underwear, kissing down their opponent’s chest. This man-on-man action triggered Fort Smith fans to throw chairs and beer at the ring, according to one cop present…

I can’t wait for this movie.

Hug your children!

…So says comedian Lee Camp on Fox news. The clip appears to be from a while ago, before Huckabee dropped out even. While it’s not clear what prompted the criticism here (aside from, well, the truth), and while he wasn’t particularly well spoken, kudos still to Lee Camp for using his time on Fox News wisely.


Comic
Uploaded by luvnews

Even though this guy is supposedly a comedian, the funniest thing about the whole exchange is that immediately after arguing that, “You can get all the news that you can at Fox News,” the anchor then transitions to another broadcaster surrounded by women in Star Trek outfits promoting a book about Captain Kirk’s sex appeal. Check and mate.

Point/Counterpoint with Emily and Rashi


It’s an election year, so naturally the hotbutton issue in the Rooftop office today was the Golden Girls. Specifically: comparing GG to Sex and the City.

It was easy to reach consensus on the parallels between the hussies Blanche and Samantha, as well as the naïve romantics Rose and Charlotte. However, disagreement arose and tensions flared when trying to decide which Golden Girl was Carrie — Sophia or Dorothy? Here now with a point/counterpoint discussion are Rooftop’s own Emily and Rashi. Read more »

Taking one for the team

Chris Porter makes a good point here about the power of sex… but the one mistake he made is in presuming women haven’t thought of this one yet. Women have been crossing their legs for justice for quite some time now. Check out these articles:

Sex strikes through the ages

That link details various sex strikes throughout modern history.

Columbian gangsters face sex ban

This one was a bit more recent, known as “the strike of the crossed legs.” Alternate name: No Cooters for Shooters. Booya!

Paying your dues

Last night I went to my usual open mic here in San Francisco after about a two month hiatus, and my how things have changed! Or rather, reverted. Allow me to explain.

When I first started going to this open mic (I’ve been going for about nine months now), my friends and I were at the bottom of the ladder. We were regularly ‘bumped’ for more established comedians or friends of the hosts (even if they sucked); people rarely stayed to listen to our sets; and hardly anyone spoke to us. It was rough. It was demoralizing. But for the club, I can see how it was a pretty good screening process. Random people off the street who aren’t serious about comedy wouldn’t last too long under the conditions, and therefore wouldn’t suck valuable stage time and audience stamina from the people who were trying to legitimately hone their craft.

After about a month of sticking it out, though, things began to change. We got to know some people. They started watching our sets. We stopped getting bumped. We started getting booked in showcases. And, of course, we got better. That’s what happens when you pay your dues, right? You get in the club.

Last night, though… someone pulled the rug out from under us.

(More entitled whining after the jump)