Furtherman
05-01-2003, 11:05 AM
Ron mentioned yesterday how funny Jim Norton has been on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. So I wanted to share a great review about Norton as well. It's from a Jack Myers Report email. It's a daily report for the advertising community. It's a month old, but nevertheless, a great and right-on review. (I wanted to email this to Ron & Fez directly but I don't know their email. Whoever does, please forward - thanks).
Controversial Comics Cut Loose On Comedy Central
By ED MARTIN
MARCH 19, 2003 - History was made Monday night - and not only by President Bush. Later in the evening, Fox presented an installment of "Married by America" that brought broadcast television down yet another notch. This hour of reality programming was concerned with nothing more than watching and waiting to see if five couples would have sex. Would these people do "it"? (For those who have wisely avoided Married by America, which seems to be at the forefront of a public shift away from new reality programming, the couples were comprised of men and women who had only known each other a few days.) Cameras recorded every movement in their bedrooms for benefit of the television audience. It was later revealed that three peeping psychologists had carefully scrutinized each couple's intimate moments. As judged by these so-called relationship experts, the pair with the least chemistry was bumped at the end of the show.
Married by America represented yet another new low for Fox in particular and broadcast television overall. But nobody cares, and this travesty will go largely unnoticed, because we all have more important matters on our minds as the country braces for war. News programming will dominate during the next few days - possibly the next few weeks. Network schedules and the public perception of all program content will be subject to immediate shifts, just as they were during the Gulf War twelve years ago and the aftermath of 9/11.
Given these circumstances, the award for the ballsiest programming move of the year so far goes to Comedy Central, which last week brought back "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," a potentially inflammatory late night talk and comedy series that had a two-week trial run last year. It's a nightly program in which the quietly outspoken Quinn and four equally opinionated, ethnically diverse guest comics freely debate the issues of the day. They don't just ignore political correctness. They seek to demolish it with startling gumption, challenging not only those who would compromise the First Amendment but those who blindly defend it, as well.
At a time when television's talking heads and media columnists alike continue to call for vague "debates" on war and other issues, the largely uncensored Tough Crowd offers some of the most honest exchanges on television. The comics here aren't trying to win popularity contests or impress the intelligentsia. They're simply giving voice to the opinions and observations of many everyday people, both liberal and conservative. It's like hearing real conversations from water cooler alcoves, bars and living rooms, a simple but revolutionary concept during these emotionally supercharged times.
When Quinn recently broached the topic of support for our military, comedian Jim Norton turned to the camera and addressed our soldiers. "You're doing the right thing over there and you shouldn't care if the rest of the world criticizes you anymore than Lara Flynn Boyle cares if she's criticized by a fat chick," he said. "And while you're taking care of business, please feel free to open the cargo doors and drop a few megatons on those ungrateful, uncircumcised monkeys in France, Germany and South Korea."
For better or worse, conversation doesn't get more real than that.
Fortunately, Tough Crowd isn't always so shocking. But it is frequently thought provoking.
"Bush is cocky!" comedienne Judy Gold recently declared of the president's addresses about Iraq.
"Bush doesn't look cocky," Quinn countered. "He looks like a
Controversial Comics Cut Loose On Comedy Central
By ED MARTIN
MARCH 19, 2003 - History was made Monday night - and not only by President Bush. Later in the evening, Fox presented an installment of "Married by America" that brought broadcast television down yet another notch. This hour of reality programming was concerned with nothing more than watching and waiting to see if five couples would have sex. Would these people do "it"? (For those who have wisely avoided Married by America, which seems to be at the forefront of a public shift away from new reality programming, the couples were comprised of men and women who had only known each other a few days.) Cameras recorded every movement in their bedrooms for benefit of the television audience. It was later revealed that three peeping psychologists had carefully scrutinized each couple's intimate moments. As judged by these so-called relationship experts, the pair with the least chemistry was bumped at the end of the show.
Married by America represented yet another new low for Fox in particular and broadcast television overall. But nobody cares, and this travesty will go largely unnoticed, because we all have more important matters on our minds as the country braces for war. News programming will dominate during the next few days - possibly the next few weeks. Network schedules and the public perception of all program content will be subject to immediate shifts, just as they were during the Gulf War twelve years ago and the aftermath of 9/11.
Given these circumstances, the award for the ballsiest programming move of the year so far goes to Comedy Central, which last week brought back "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," a potentially inflammatory late night talk and comedy series that had a two-week trial run last year. It's a nightly program in which the quietly outspoken Quinn and four equally opinionated, ethnically diverse guest comics freely debate the issues of the day. They don't just ignore political correctness. They seek to demolish it with startling gumption, challenging not only those who would compromise the First Amendment but those who blindly defend it, as well.
At a time when television's talking heads and media columnists alike continue to call for vague "debates" on war and other issues, the largely uncensored Tough Crowd offers some of the most honest exchanges on television. The comics here aren't trying to win popularity contests or impress the intelligentsia. They're simply giving voice to the opinions and observations of many everyday people, both liberal and conservative. It's like hearing real conversations from water cooler alcoves, bars and living rooms, a simple but revolutionary concept during these emotionally supercharged times.
When Quinn recently broached the topic of support for our military, comedian Jim Norton turned to the camera and addressed our soldiers. "You're doing the right thing over there and you shouldn't care if the rest of the world criticizes you anymore than Lara Flynn Boyle cares if she's criticized by a fat chick," he said. "And while you're taking care of business, please feel free to open the cargo doors and drop a few megatons on those ungrateful, uncircumcised monkeys in France, Germany and South Korea."
For better or worse, conversation doesn't get more real than that.
Fortunately, Tough Crowd isn't always so shocking. But it is frequently thought provoking.
"Bush is cocky!" comedienne Judy Gold recently declared of the president's addresses about Iraq.
"Bush doesn't look cocky," Quinn countered. "He looks like a